BD: Immortal Souls
by Nostalgicmiss
Summary: An alternative ending to the Twilight saga. I hate saying goodbye so this is my own ending. Continues on from the first chapter of SM's Breaking Dawn, read the first chapter of the book and it takes off from there. No offense intended. LEMONS ;0
1. Chapter 1

_**Alternate Breaking Dawn. Me, being me, much like Alice being Alice, I thought I would throw in an alternative ending. I love the one that's there but I hate saying goodbye so this keeps me connected somehow.  
**_

_**I personally like SM's Breaking Dawn, but I got to thinking about what people were expecting, and then I figured, WHY NOT?**_

_**So I guess I will pick up from the end of chapter one of Breaking Dawn, and I hope that no one will be offended at my little attempt here.**_

_**Like I said, I really like Breaking Dawn . . . Please do not throw anything harder than a cushion at me, I am a wimp! lol.**_

_**All things Twilight belong to the AWESOME Stephenie Meyer. ;0P**_

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**Chapter Two - Preparations  
**

I was so frustrated, Alice, wanting to make sure that all traditions were followed, insisted that Edward stay away the night before our wedding, I disagreed whole heartedly and insisted this be the one tradition that was excused from our very traditional, yet unusual, wedding.

"Nope, I will not bend on this, Bella. The two of you are pushing the whole luck thing as it is, I will not let you start your marriage with that on my conscience."

Edward chuckled lightly from the couch. I turned on him, my bottom lip jutted out emphasizing my point. He bit his lip clearly resisting the audible laugh that was building. He was undecided on how to proceed. We both knew Alice's temper, but he didn't want to upset me. He was torn.

"I have things to do, Bella, I will be taking Edward with me, what I need for you is sleep."

"I think I can handle that." I sighed, I knew better than to go up against Alice, but it was worth a try.

I made my way over to Edward and lightly dropped myself in his lap. His eyes were a warm gold, he'd hunted last night, so I hadn't seen him then either, he had made sure I was asleep before leaving though. He stroked my face gently with the back of his hand and his face nuzzled into my neck.

"I miss you already, Love." he whispered, his cool breath sending a ripple down my spine.

"You could come back." I whispered under my breath.

"Bella," Alice laughed, the bell sound reverberating around Charlie's relatively small living room. "Did you forget that I can see decisions like that? It's only going to be a couple of hours, and I'm hoping you'll be sleeping through them."

"Alice,"

"No, Bella."

I rolled my eyes and cuddled into Edward's cool chest. His arms twisted around me gently pulling me closer. I could actually see Alice's point, were were an unusual matching, and I was a veritable danger magnet, but I was hoping that would change when I finally got my wish.

I was finally going to be accepted into the family, in every sense of the word, I was going to be changed, but not before my one small demand was 'attempted'. That was all I could hope for, an attempt. Edward and I were going to try and consummate our marriage before I was made, more durable, as Edward put it.

I couldn't deny I was scared. I had wanted this for a while now, but that didn't take away the risks, the risks that scared Edward, why he was so against the attempt.

Now, we were less than twenty four hours from our wedding night, he seemed to be more agitated than normal, although he hid it well, and I was scared out of my mind, but I still wanted it.

Edward kissed the top of my head gently, and sighed. We hated being apart and this week had been more torturous than normal because of all the arrangements being made. He'd been organizing the wedding night for us, which concerned me. Edward had insisted that we stay close to home when we tried, because his fear of hurting me was so great. He wanted to know that Carlisle would be close should anything go wrong. I understood the necessity, but knowing that it had been discussed with my soon-to-be father-in-law, made it all the more embarrassing. The fact that nothing was ever out of hearing range of the others Cullens', had also been a problem.

Emmett had been the worst with the taunting, even Rosalie had taken to reprimanding him about his comments. Rosalie and I were working on our friendship but she still intimidated me to no end.

"Come on Edward, I have some thing I want you to do for me tonight." Alice sang as she picked up the binder she'd been keeping all of the wedding plans in.

Edward exhaled loudly and stood with me in his arms. His kissed my forehead gently before setting me on my feet.

"Sleep well, my love." he whispered as he planted a kiss on the top of my head.

"Hardly," I pouted and stood on my toes to kiss him. His arms tangled around my waist and pulled me to him. His cool lips molded to mine and they moved harmoniously together. I could definitely do this forever.

"Don't be so dramatic, Bella." exclaimed Alice as she headed towards the door.

Edward planted a final kiss on my forehead, and then he and his sister were gone. I still hadn't gotten used to their speed, and I doubted I ever would, as a human. I hated that I would be left alone with my thoughts again.

I stood in the empty room and looked around, this would be the last time I was here, it was a sad feeling. Charlie, between being upset about the upcoming wedding, and searching for Jacob, was trying to spend as much time as possible with me. He was out picking up our gift, it was something I had been upset about for the last two weeks, I'd been trying to pick Edward's mind about it, but he wasn't letting up. He didn't want to take the surprise from Charlie.

Looking at the clock it was only five. I had a couple of hours before I could even justify going to bed, and I was alone. I had cleaned the house top to bottom so Charlie wouldn't have to do it, and I had planned on making him something special for dinner, I just didn't know when to expect him.

I had to do something. I worked on making Charlie's dinner, hoping he would be back before it was completely ruined. My mind worked overtime these days and I found myself over thinking everything. I tried to throw my thoughts into the task at hand, but it was never that easy. Instead, my mind wandered to the conversation I'd had with Seth the previous day. Jacob knew I was concerned, why hadn't he given them something? I always knew he wouldn't have been happy about me checking up on him, but knowing that I was the reason for his absence stung me. I couldn't just let it go, it's not who I was, and even though I knew our love for one another would never be enough, I couldn't stop the nagging feeling that haunted me.

"Hey, Bells. Smells good." Charlie's voice had me jumping a foot into the air. I pressed my hand on my chest as my heart beat against my ribcage.

"Dad, you scared me."

"Sorry, I thought you heard me come in." he laughed. "What's for dinner, the smell is wonderful."

I smiled at the comment, Charlie had been making comments like that for the last couple of days. I'd been making meals and freezing them for him, so he would have at least something edible when I was gone.

"Your favorite fish fry." I said smiling. I had acquired some of Harry's fish fry from Seth. I knew it was Charlie's favorite and it seemed like one of the only parting gifts I could him.

"How?"

"Seth, Sue still has the recipe and Seth threw a batch together for me. I put the rest in the refrigerator."

Charlie took a seat in his usual chair as I served dinner. I placed his plate in front of him and kissed him tentatively on the forehead, I was growing nostalgic. so much had happened in this small room, the yellow cabinets were still the same as Renee had painted them. Edward and I had been through so much in this room, we'd confined ourselves in it when I was grounded earlier this year. It all seemed so long ago, and so much had happened since then.

"What was that for?" he grumbled with his mouth full.

I raised my eyebrows and ignored the question. Charlie shrugged and dug back into his food. I picked gently at the fish on my plate, my appetite had diminished due to my nerves.

"What's on your mind, Kiddo?"

"Nothing, Dad. Just check listing, making sure I have everything done. I have left instruction for heating up the food on the refrigerator, just make sure you don't put any metal in the microwave, it's really no good for them. The rest I have put oven instructions on."

"Bella, I can look after myself, had been for seventeen years until you graced me with your presence." he chuckled lightly.

"Doesn't stop me worrying about you, dad." I sighed wistfully.

Charlie grunted at me.

"So, you nervous about tomorrow?" he asked, before taking another bite. He was unusually talkative considering there was food present.

"Aw, Dad, please don't start that again." I laughed, I knew what this question lead to, we'd been having this conversation more and more as the wedding drew closer. "I'm happy, and you know I'll keep in touch."

"I just don't see what the rush is."

"Hmm," I placed my index finger on my chin thoughtfully, raising my eyebrows.

Charlie sighed, he was giving up again. I knew he would never tell me to go and live with Edward in sin, we had him cornered on that and he knew it. It was the only arsenal I had, and I often pulled it out when he threw this question at me.

The rest of the meal passed in a comfortable silence, I had always loved that about Charlie, we could sit in complete silence and not feel the need to fill it with mindless chatter. It was one of the things we had in common. I could easily not talk for hours and not realize it, I had spent many days like that with Charlie the first week I had spent in Forks. It had been so new to both of us then. Now I couldn't imagine not living with him.

I spent the evening with Charlie watching the game, he'd tried to change the channel so I wouldn't be so bored, but I knew it was getting close to the end of the season and the games were becoming more important. I just wanted to spend time with Charlie. Time had slipped so quickly and silently past us that this was the last time I would call this home, it was the end of an era.

As I lost myself to my thoughts again, I considered my wedding night. I didn't want to think there was a need for Carlisle to be close, and in all honesty the thought horrified me. There was no escaping the fact that the family knew what we were doing, it was a simply fact of weddings, everyone knew what the bride and groom did on the night of the wedding. It was the thought that the family would be in earshot. Wasn't there enough embarrassment in the first time without an audience. I felt my cheeks warm again and ducked my head before Charlie could see.

I knew there was really no point in dwelling on the situation, Edward would have it no other way. Unfortunately, this still didn't help me to stop thinking about it.

"You alright, Bells?" Charlie asked narrowing his eyes.

"Fine, Dad. I was just thinking about giving Mom a call at the hotel."

Charlie nodded at me and his head once again disappeared into the game. I was glad he let it drop, this was difficult enough without being consistently questioned about how I was feeling, or whether or not I was nervous.

I stole myself away from the living room and picked up the number to the hotel.

"Room 417, please." I asked the polite receptionist on the other end of the phone.

"This is Renee."

"Mom," I sighed into the phone happily.

"Hey, Bella. Is everything alright?"

"It's fine, I just wanted to make sure you had everything before I went to bed."

"Bella, Alice has done more than enough for us to be comfortable, you don't need to worry about all of that. How are you feeling?"

I rolled my eyes. "Great, I just want it all to be over with, I can't stand this anticipation."

Renee laughed lightly, she knew me so well. "Just relax and enjoy it, Bella. I have a feeling this will be the only wedding you'll ever have so take your time and don't rush it. Alice has gone through a lot of trouble, in fact, I would apply that to all of the Cullen's. They seem to have welcomed you with open arms."

"I know, mom."

"Well, get to bed sweetie, and try to relax. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I will." I sighed. I knew she was right but relaxing at this point was easier said than done. "Night, mom."

"Goodnight, sleep well."

I hung up the phone and leaned against the counter. I was wishing Edward was here. Everything was so much easier when he was in my line of sight, when I could touch his cool skin, hear his velvet voice. I felt so anxious when I was away from him.

I walked back into the living room, Charlie was still glued to the television.

"I'm going to bed, Dad."

"Night, Bells."

"Night."

I slowly made my way up the stairs to my room, another night without Edward was going to be difficult, but I was happy that, after tonight, there was never going to be a reason for separation anymore. It would be the two of us, a family within the Cullen family. It was one of the things I was looking forward to, although the pain they'd all warned me about still played a large part in the back of mind.

I pushed open my door and smiled at my room, there were so many memories here, every night, except of course for a short period I hated to remember, I had slept in Edward's cool arms in that small bed. We'd had so many conversations in the small rocking chair.

They memories were like ghost playing in my head, my memories of my time with Edward were so strong, I really didn't want them to fade when I was changed. I would hold onto them and hope that they pulled me through it.

I changed into my sweats and threw myself on the bed. The memories still replayed in my head. I found myself smiling.

"I would love to know what you're thinking." The velvet voice pulled me from my reverie and I sat bolt upright. Edward was leaning against the window watching me, his crooked grin in place.

"Edward, you came back." I hopped out of the bed so quickly, I lost my balance and fell into him. He caught me gently and settled me on my feet, wrapping his cool arms around my waist.

"I couldn't not say goodnight. Alice gave me the okay, she wants me to get you to sleep and then leave, she's worried about circles appearing under your eyes." he chuckled.

I didn't mind the reasoning behind the visit, I didn't even mind that he wouldn't be with me all night, I just cared that he was here now.

He swung me up into his arms and placed me on the bed gently, his body took it's place next to mine. I watched him closely, I still couldn't believe this exquisite creature was mine.

He leaned forward and brushed a strand of hair from my neck, and kissed the spot he'd just cleared, my body reacted instinctively and shuddered at the cool lips pressed against my throat. My heart thundered in my chest and the caress of his fingers worked down my arm.

"Aren't you supposed to be helping me sleep?" my voice was uneven and heavy.

"Mmm hmm." he sighed.

My eyes closed and I let my mind follow his fingers. This was always so torturous, he was all I would ever want. My breaths picked up as his hand traced down my side.

"Behave, Bella." he sighed.

I smiled and felt his lips crush against mine. My arms twined around his neck and pulled him closer to me. I could never get enough of him. As always, he broke away entirely too soon, My head fell into the pillow and my breaths came as pants.

"Sleep, my Bella." he whispered into my ear.

How exactly he expected me to sleep when he teased me like that, I would never understand, but I relented and laid my head on his cool contoured chest.

The humming began almost instantaneously. My lullaby, it worked every time. I let the memories dance behind my eyelids as my mind grew heavy, each one had Edward in it as they played through my mind. I would never love anyone as much as I loved him, and after tomorrow, I would have an eternity with him.

I woke up confused and alone. I hated not waking up to the coolness on my cheek, because it meant Edward was no longer holding me. I was however glad about the dreamless sleep, I was hoping I would be shadowless as Alice had requested.

I stretched out along my bed and turned to my side. The room was empty, Edward and Emmett had moved the small amount of my belongings to the Cullen house yesterday, but it was still my room. The blue of the walls, the scarce furniture. It was still home to me in so many ways.

The small silver phone that was resting on my night stand vibrated filling the room with a buzzing sound as it danced across the surface. It was annoying enough to be one person, Alice.

I picked up the phone and flipped it open.

"Good Morning, sleeping beauty."

"Alice,"

"Will you be gracing me with your presence this morning? We have so much to do, I need you up and ready to go, so get in the shower and i'll pick you up in thirty."

"Got it."

"And cheer up, Bella. This _is_ your wedding day."

I giggled into the phone, I had no idea where it came from or why it had escaped, but I felt inexplicably happy.

"Thirty minutes, Bella."

"Yes, Alice. I'll be waiting."

"I highly doubt that." she giggled before hanging up.

So this was finally it, my wedding day. I had been dreading this day since I had given Alice the thumbs up, yet here I was giggling like a school girl. Perhaps being out of the loop helped, I had no pressure, no decisions to make, all I had to do was walk down the aisle and say I do. Easy, right?

I just had to keep my eyes away from Tanya, she was exquisite, not Rosalie exquisite but her own kind of beautiful. I had been nervous about her arrival because of the wolves, especially seeing as Seth was attending the wedding, but Edward had assured me that there would be no retaliation.

Tanya had been graceful and very accepting of me, but I couldn't get past the looks she had given me when she thought I wasn't looking. There was no callousness in her gaze, just confusion, as though she couldn't understand Edward's draw to me.

It was something I often wondered about, not that I was complaining. I just felt so plain, I would never understand why he'd chosen me. I knew that our connection was deep, but it never covered my insecurities. Would I be beautiful enough as a vampire?

"Bella, are you up?" Charlie's voice reached me from outside of my door.

"Yes, dad. Alice just called, she'll be here in thirty minutes, so I'm going to jump in the shower."

"Okay, I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Strange. "Okay, Dad. Thanks."

I took a long shower and let the hot water relax my body. I was no longer tense or worried. It was pure excitement now, something I really couldn't explain.

I threw on some sweats and grabbed the last of my belongings as I dressed. This would be the last time I would be in my bedroom at Charlie's house, I had to make sure I had everything before I left. Alice had left me a backpack to fit everything into.

I looked around my small room and felt a pang of homesickness. This was going to be more difficult than I had ever imagined, but it was the last step to my new life, my forever with Edward. I heard the knock on the door signaling Alice's arrival.

"Bella."

"Coming,"

I turned around and exited my room for the last time, pulling it closed behind me.

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**A/N: I want to get some feedback before I continue, this is meant to carry on from Stephenie's first Chapter. Like I said before, I know some people don't like how she wrapped up the story but I thoroughly enjoyed it, I am on my second go around. ;0)**  
**I just thought I would offer an alternative, hey it's what we do right? LOL**

**BIG HUGZ -L-**


	2. Chapter 2

_**All things in the Twilight Universe belong to Stephenie Meyer.**_

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**Chapter 3 - I Do  
**

As I walked slowly down the stairs, still taking in everything surrounding me. I saw Alice chatting with Charlie. I knew she was giving him the small boost he needed. Charlie, much the same as me, was getting nervous about his role in the wedding, he liked the spotlight about as much as I did and I knew he would find this difficult.

"It'll be fine, Charlie." Alice cooed in her most convincing voice. "Trust me."

"You know, Dad. Alice has an uncanny knack for predicting things like this. I think you should believe her." I winked at Alice.

Charlie grumbled loudly and nodded. Alice shot one of her dazzling smiles at me.

"We have to go Charlie, your tux is at our house, so I need you to get there early enough to dress."

Charlie nodded and gave me a weak smile, I knew he would miss me just as much as I was going to miss him, and it didn't make it any easier.

"Bye, Dad." I whispered and kissed him gently on the forehead again. He grumbled quietly in him embarrassment and ducked his head back into the newspaper that was sat on the table in front of him.

"Bye, Bells."

Alice pulled me from the house as slowly as she could in her excitement, it was still too fast but Charlie didn't notice. Her yellow Porsche was sat in front of the house idling.

"I thought you weren't supposed to drive this around town?" I smirked, Alice hardly ever got to drive the Porsche and constantly looked for excuses.

"It's not like people don't know we have money. I'm fed up of keeping her in the garage, she needs to stretch her legs."

I stifled a giggle as I climbed into the car. It was the same interior as the one Alice had stolen in Italy, and it brought back some memories I really didn't need. I tried to shake them off. This was a happy day, I didn't want to dwell on our dangerous past. It was time to look to the future.

"Okay, now for your beatification, you ready?"

I laughed at her enthusiasm and nodded, ready or not, she was going to work her magic, resistance was futile. I laid my head on the headrest and watched as the trees passed us too quickly. Alice was humming quietly in her seat as we barreled through the town.

It didn't take us long to reach the Cullen house. Flowers and bows lined the long driveway, there were intermittent with beautiful lanterns that dangled gracefully from the branches above us.

"Alice, what did you do, it's beautiful." I gasped. The effect was beautiful and I could only imagine how it would look as the sun set.

Alice's smile beamed at my compliment, she'd kept much of the details secret from me to stop me vetoing anything I thought was too much.

"Well, wait till you see the house." she giggled merrily.

We pulled up into the meadow and my breath was stolen from my chest, the meadow in front of the large Cullen house had burst into a life of it's own. The large cedars that filled the space were now connected by an intricate design of heavy fabrics, she'd picked a day of light rain, and I knew that these large sails were to protect the guests from the light mist.

The alter was breathtaking, there was a soft ivory carpet leading from the house straight to it. There were four large potted trees that were woven to create an arc above it. A small but extravagant chandelier hung from the weave of branches where we would be stood, and a cascade of flowers were the back drop dangling beautifully from the top of the arc to the floor, creating a breathtaking background for the minister. Above the weave of the trees, was the same material to protect us from the rain. Lily's were covering much of the tree trucks as they dropped into the ornate pots.

"Alice, it's . . . beautiful."

And it was, I had never seen anything like it before.

"You really like it?" she sang happily pulling the Porsche towards the garage.

"No, Alice I love it."

Alice beamed as she parked her car. She climbed out nimbly and waited for me to follow. My human speed was an annoyance to her when she was in a hurry like she was today. I exaggerated my slow movements playfully and she rolled her eyes at me. Alice tugged on hand just as I got to her and she pulled me through the house to the stairs, I could hear Edward's velvet voice playfully reprimanding his brother from the back of the house. The sound was so tempting to me, knowing he was so close and not being able to see him was almost agony.

Alice wrapped her arms around my waist and steered me up the stairs slowly.

"I know it's difficult, but there's only a couple more hours and you'll have an eternity with him." she said sympathetically, but I caught the eye roll.

I sighed gently and nodded, she was right but it didn't make not seeing him any easier. I knew I was being silly.

I followed Alice into her cavernous bathroom, it still held every item she'd ever used to dress me up as her guinea pig.

Now, the torture began, but I refused to complain, Alice had put so much effort into making this perfect for us that I refused to take any of this away from her, all too soon, I wouldn't need any of this, at least, I hoped I wouldn't.

So the primping started and I relaxed as much as I could, Alice was so gentle in each of her movements, it reminded me of prom. All the memories flooded through me once again, I had so much to remember, I didn't want to forget anything. It didn't matter how much I had complained at the time, prom had almost been magical, the only difference being I had had the opportunity to awkwardly dance with Jacob. Something I knew I had no hope of this time. I missed my best friend, but I knew that our relationship would never be the same, when I had realized I was in love with him, it had made things too complicated to keep the relationship we'd had, we could never be as close as we used to be, there would always be the elephant in the room.

"Bella, stop frowning." laughed Alice, "I know you hate all of this but, you'll appreciate it, I promise."

"I think I am being very cooperative," I whined, but smiled.

"Yes, you are." grinned Alice.

She continued to work as I sat silently watching her. I tried to keep my face smooth, I was easy to read. I decided not to think of Jacob, it wasn't fair to Edward and I was just going to complicate things further by thinking about him. I had to be over that part of my life so I could continue forwards.

Alice, after finishing with my fingers and toes, moved on to my makeup. I sat as still as I possibly could. I heard Alice's bedroom door open and the soft padding of feet across her carpet. Definitely human. If it had been a vampire, I wouldn't have heard a thing.

"Knock, Knock." Renee's voice filled the room, it was full of the happiness she was feeling.

"Renee, Esme will be here in just a second." Alice sang happily. "Go ahead and take a seat."

"What time is it?" I asked looking around the room for a clock.

"You have an hour before we start the ceremony. The guests are starting to arrive now."

I nodded, I hadn't realized I'd been lost in thought for so long, the nerves were starting to eat at me, but I wasn't nervous about marrying Edward anymore, I wasn't even nervous about the wedding itself, or what people thought. I was worried about falling flat on my face in a wedding gown. It would be a typical Bella thing to do, and I was sure the only person who would truly appreciate would be Emmett, he adored my clumsiness.

"Calm down, Bella. I can hear your heart flying off the handle. What's the matter?" whispered Alice.

I shrugged my shoulders and gulped down as much air as I could, trying to calm myself before I passed out from the panic.

"Am I going to fall, Alice?" I gasped quietly.

Alice giggled and wrapped her arms gently around my neck. She kissed the top of my head. "No, Bella. You don't trip, you'll be as graceful as a ballerina today."

I smiled and relaxed into the chair. I hoped she wasn't just being polite.

Esme crept in silently and helped Renee with her short hair, they had been getting along so well since I had announced the engagement to Renee. I had never expected Renee to be as relaxed with the vampires as I had always been, but she'd taken to them well and with warm open arms.

"Okay, Bella. Do not look in the mirror yet! I have to get my dress on and I'll get yours too. Stay put."

"Okay, Alice." I sighed and watched Esme and Renee interact. They'd formed quite a friendship.

Alice arrived back in the room promptly, it hadn't taken her long, I knew why of course but luckily Renee never noticed. She was wearing a midnight blue silk dress that hugged her body perfectly, it danced gracefully below her knees. She looked beautiful.

"Alice, you look gorgeous."

She grinned and rolled her eyes at me. She knew my fears and insecurities just as much as Edward did, and just like Edward could not fathom why. She pulled me out of the chair she dragged me gently into her bedroom. I changed my underwear into the seamless, but blush-worthy lingerie she'd handed me and then I stepped into the beautiful silk and lace gown. The white seemed to glow brightly around me and I instantly began feeling my nerves again.

Alice gently buttoned the pearls that ran down my spine and organized my train.

"Wow, Bella. You look, stunning." Renee breathed as she exited the bathroom into Alice's bedroom.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Have you looked at yourself yet?" she giggled. I shook my head, internally cursing the blush that was creeping into my cheeks at a high rate of speed. I hated that I was so insecure, I always questioned myself, I had on occasion questioned Edward's motivation to love me so much. The fact that he did still amazed me.

Alice tugged gently on my hand and pulled me into the brightly lit room she called a closet. There was a long mirror against the wall by the door, Alice spun me around. I didn't recognize myself at first, I was flushed slightly and my eyes were bright, framed by the long feathery lashes I didn't know I possessed.

The beautiful dress clung to me on all the right places and fanned out gently from my hips hitting the floor in a dance of silk around my feet. The train danced out behind me. I almost lost my breath. Whatever Alice had done, she had it down as a fine art, I would never question her again.

Alice danced to the back of her closet and reappeared with a shoe box, with a name I thought I recognized. I stifled the groan, I hoped she hadn't organized death traps for me.

"Open it," she grinned. She pushed the box towards me and I lifted the lid a little.

I grinned and pulled Alice towards me. "Thank you," I breathed pulling out the perfect shoes. They were kitten heels, less than an inch in height, they would be easier to deal with that the threatening spikes she'd forced me into for prom.

"I know your balance." she giggled and took the shoes from my hand, slipping them onto my feet. The room was quiet around me and I could see the matching expressions on Esme and Renee's faces.

Esme pulled something from her pocket and handed it to me. There was a perfect string of pearls resting in her hand.

"Something borrowed." Esme grinned.

Esme stepped forward elegantly and swung the pearls around me gently, she attached them around my neck and kissed me on the cheek.

"The dress and shoes are new," Alice sighed "The ring is old, all we need is something blue."

"Here," a new voice came from the doorway of the closet, and there was Rosalie, looking breathtaking in her midnight blue bridesmaids dress. She handed me a bracelet that was platinum, the stones that lined it alternated between diamonds and Sapphires.

"Oh, Rosalie. It's beautiful."

"Emmett gave it to me when we got married." she smiled. "Bella, you look amazing."

The breath caught in my throat, I was amazed at the progress Rosalie and I had made throughout the last couple of weeks. She still didn't agree with my decision, but she accepted it a little more than she had. I smiled my best attempt of a dazzling smile at her and she winked in appreciation.

"I'd better get outside. I'll send Charlie in, he was pacing around mumbling when I got here." Renee laughed.

Renee kissed me gently on my cheek as she passed and left the room with Esme at her side.

'You ready?" asked Rosalie.

"I think so." I said taking a deeper breath than required. The nerves were once again crawling through me.

"Bella, anyone would think you were being led to the firing squad. Just relax and enjoy this. This is your day." Alice sighed.

"Thank you, both of you for everything." I said gulping back the emotions that were threatening to break through.

"Don't you dare cry, Bella." Alice laughed.

I nodded trying to comply. Rosalie ran her cool hand down the length of my arm, it was her way of reassuring me, and I appreciated her effort.

Alice headed out of the room and picked up the three bouquets lying on the desk in the corner of the room. As with everything else, they were perfect, Lily's and roses, with small crystals adorning the center of the roses, they sparkled beautifully in the light.

"You like it?" Alice asked grinning.

I nodded, still not trusting my voice.

"Let's get going, Charlie may explode with anticipation, he's pacing down there. I can hear his feet creating a divot in the floor down there"

The three of us made our way down the stairs, Charlie was stood at the bottom. My gaze met his and I was surprised at the glassiness of his eyes. I had never realized how difficult this was for him, the crinkled smile that rekindled his stolen youth appeared on his face.

"Bella, you look beautiful."

I threw my arms around his waist as I reached him and his hands gently rubbed my arm. Charlie and I had never really been affectionate, so this was unchartered territory, but it felt so natural at this point in time, it was one of the biggest changes either of us would go through. I tried not to think about the impending goodbyes.

The music began playing lightly outside, I was surprised Alice had resisted the traditional wedding march, instead a most beautiful rendition of Clair De Lune played. The beautiful sound filling the cool summer evening, the sun was setting over the mountains and I felt the clench of the muscles in my stomach.

Rosalie exited the house first, she gave me a quick wink before she disappeared through the door, her grace was intimidating as she practically floated down the aisle towards the alter. Alice turned and grinned at me. I nodded and watched her as her lithe movements carried her down the aisle.

"Last chance to run." chuckled Charlie tucking my arm around his.

"Dad!" I giggled. I knew he was playing with me. Even in his emotional state.

I took the step with my father, and dragged in a deep breath, this was it, this walk would carry me to my future. I kept my eyes to the ground, watching my feet as I tackled the stairs of the porch. As I hit the bottom I looked up.

The aisle was like the breaking of the clouds on a rainy day, the rays of sun on this occasion was Edward standing at the other end of it. His dazzling smile drawing me forward as if there were no one else around. Seeing him standing there made it easier to concentrate, my eyes never left him as I instinctively placed one foot in front of the other.

Our eyes were connected and I realized I had never been so sure of anything in my life, I loved the man that was waiting for me at the end of the ivory carpet, and I was ready for forever with him.

When we finally reached him my heart almost exploded, the full extend of his gold eyes pulled me to him, I almost forgot that Charlie would be placing my hand in his.

Edward chuckled as I grinned at him, the whole ceremony skipped by without me realizing it, I was so lost in Edward that I almost missed my lines completely, we stared at one another as though we were alone and I really couldn't have been happier at where I was.

The minister finally finished and pronounced us husband and wife, then introduced us as Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. The kiss that followed was more significant than any we had ever shared, I lost myself in the coolness of his lips and pulled myself closer to him, always wanting more. The applause that thundered around the decorated meadow broke us gently apart and I couldn't keep the smile from my face. I was finally a Cullen, it was something I had always wanted and now it was my reality.

We made our way slowly to the back of the house, the huge tent was set up and there were circular tables set up around a dance floor. The decorations were much that same as the front of the house. The centerpieces on the tables matched the bouquets the three of us carried and there were silver boxes laid neatly on each place setting. The bridal party stood side by side greeting guests, as Edward and I accepted the congratulations each of our guests gave us.

"What's in the silver boxes?" I asked under my breath. Alice was stood beside me and there was a break in the guests.

"Favors, I figured we'd treat the guests, we are stealing you away, I figured they needed something to remember you and this beautiful day." She smiled.

I smiled, but couldn't stop the sigh building in my chest. Why was the pleasure always tainted with pain. It seemed cruel that the two should go hand in hand. I couldn't have been happier about this day and the future that it gave me, but I had to say goodbye to everyone human that I loved. It was a price i had already come to terms with and one I was most willing to pay.

The hot hand that took mine brought my thoughts back to reality, I smiled at the russet face that stood before me.

"Congratulations, Bella."

"Thanks, Seth. You having fun?"

"Yeah, the foods great, Alice really went all out didn't she."

I nodded and grinned.

Seth moved on to Edward and I greeted Billy. His smile was forced and his eyes had heavy shadows beneath them. I knew he wasn't worried about Jacob, but it wouldn't stop him missing his only son.

"Hey, Billy. Thanks for coming." I smiled with as much understanding as I could give.

"Congratulations, Bella." He smiled and waited to be pushed away by Sue Clearwater.

"Congratulations, Bella." Sue added with a nod at Edward, she then pushed Billy away from the line to find their table.

I had requested that any Quileute guest be seat as far from any vampire as possible, and Alice had complied. She'd put Sue and Billy in a far corner of the tent, the vampire's, especially the Denali's were as far from them as could be managed. Poor Seth looked lost at the table with his mother and looked like he'd want nothing more than to sit with us.

I knew Alice hated doing that to him, she'd grown to like him just as much as Edward had.

I felt better once the formalities had been taken care of, I felt I could just enjoy my husband, for a while. My husband, it didn't feel so strange any more and I much preferred that to fiance. It still didn't seem like enough, he was so much more than that to me.

Edward leaned towards me and stroked my face gently with his finger tips.

"What are you thinking about, Mrs. Cullen?" the excitement on his face was encourage-able.

I giggled at the name too. "The word husband," I whispered under my breath. "It just doesn't seem like enough, you're so much more than that to me."

Edward's eyes lit up and almost sparkled in the warm tones of the lighting in the tent. My words had obviously pleased him, and I couldn't help but return the enthusiasm.

"And you are so much more than my wife, you are the reason for my existence, the only thing I will ever want. You are my heart and my soul. I love you."

He was always so much better with words, I could never have explained it so eloquently as he just had, but he'd managed to put every feeling an emotion I had into one sentence.

"I love you, too." I grinned and kissed him gently on the lips.

Alice stood up beside me and timidly cleared her throat, the sound was so pleasant it grabbed the attention of every guest. I looked at Edward.

"Speeches!' he mouthed.

I'd forgotten about this wedding tradition and felt the color flood to my cheeks, was I expected to stand in front of all these people and say something? I couldn't remember. My heart began pounding in my chest and a shudder ran down my spine. I hated public speaking.

"Don't worry, Love." Edward whispered into my ear. "It's only customary for the Maid of honor and best man to say something. You and Charlie got lucky, your speeches would've been at the rehearsal dinner."

I relaxed immediately, not only because I was off the hook, but Edward's cool breath danced along my neck causing my hair to dance lightly on my neck.

We'd skipped the rehearsal dinner because it would have been difficult for the Cullen's to get through a sit down dinner without actually eating anything, the buffet here at the wedding could be over looked. Each of the Cullen's had brought a plate to the table and shuffled the food around so it looked as though they had eaten.

"I would like to firstly thank everyone for coming and making this such a special day for Edward and Bella. For those of you who know them well, you know how inseparable they have always been. From the first moment they set eyes on one another, I knew that Bella would join our family at some point." Alice turned and winked at me. "Bella is the perfect person for Edward to spend his life with, they even one another out and create a perfect balance. They have a love for one another that is pure, I love them both so much that I couldn't be happier about this union. Bella is not only my best friend, she's my sister, and I can never thank her enough for making my brother the happiest he's ever been. So I would like to propose a toast in honor of the couple."

Alice waited as the guests stood with their glasses raised in the air.

"To Bella and Edward, and their _eternal_ love."

My eyes widened at Alice's emphasis of the word eternal but Edward distracted me by kissing my neck gently, chuckling against my skin. The breath I didn't realize I'd been holding escaped me.

"Now I'll pass you to our father, and best man, Carlisle." Alice said sweetly.

Carlisle stood in one swift, but human motion taking his glass with him.

"Friends, and neighbors, thank you for joining us on this auspicious occasion. I am so happy that we were able to share this with you all. Bella came into Edward's life in an unusual way and it was something none of us had expected, there are so many things she has brought to our life that we can never thank her for, but tonight, in front of you all, we would like to thank her for completing our family. The happiness she has given us can never be repaid, but we are happy to have a lifetime with her to try. The love shared between this couple should be an example to us all, they have overcome all the odds that were stacked against them, yet they persisted because of the bond that they shared."

Carlisle turned to us and grinned, he raised the glass into the air.

"To overcoming the odds."

The crowd muttered the same words as they raised their glasses and then drank. My cheeks were flaming now and I could have happily dropped into the large hole I was hoping would open beneath my chair. I appreciated Alice and Carlisle's sentiment, and their words had touched me more than I could ever imagine they would, but the staring crowd was making me nervous. Edward rubbed soothing circles on my back trying to calm my speeding heart.

"And now, may I present Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, for their first dance." Alice giggled.

My breath stuck in my throat and I felt my body freeze at the words as they spilled out through the tent. The applause began but I couldn't make myself move. Dancing, I'd forgotten about the darn dancing.

Edward stood up next to me and held out his hand for me to take, but no matter what I did I couldn't make my limbs move. Edward bent down until his mouth was close to my ear.

"It'll be easy, Love. I won't let you fall."

He took my hand and pulled lightly and I found myself raising from my seat. My arms automatically wrapped around his waist and I let him guide me to the middle of the dance floor. The song started playing, and before I knew what was happening Edward was twirling me around the dance floor. I had to admit, with Edward it was effortless. He led me across the floor with such confidence my body moved with his with absolutely no thought from me. His movements made it easy and his guidance never faltered. It was like a fairy tale.

The rest of the evening moved by quickly, I danced with the Cullen men and my father, I even danced with Seth. I had to sit out a couple of songs to catch my breath. It was easier than I thought it would be, I was enjoying myself.

When the crowd finally began to thin, the nerves once again began. It was now the night of my wedding, and I was going to get what I wanted, and I was scared.

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**A/N: Hope you liked it, I like wedding and I really hoped that Alice would go all out like that but keep it simple at the same time. Now onto the wedding night, and like the summary said . . . the LEMON! . . . I have never written a lemon before so I hope I don't disappoint, and I am giving this warning for those of you who don't like lemons, so you can skip it altogether. In all of my other stories I have tried to avoid this, I couldn't think of a way to do it tastefully, and believe me this one is significant and I hope you will find it tasteful.**

**I am planning on writing Alice's perspective of Breaking Dawn, I know she wasn't in it much, but those are the time I try and get creative, and I'm forced to ask the question . . . What Would Alice Do?**

**Thank you for the faves and Alerts, you guys are awesome, and of course . . . THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS YOU GUY RULE (I TOTALLY WANNA BRING THAT WORD BACK!) AND I HOPE I DON'T DISAPPOINT! YOU GUYS SERIOUSLY ROCK AND YOU ARE WHAT DRIVES THIS STORY, IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT I WILL STOP, I PROMISE.**

**YOU ROCK, THANK YOU -L-**


	3. Chapter 3

_**All Things Twilight belong to the awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer**_

**Warning: The LEMON**

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**Chapter 4 - A Night to Remember  
**

Charlie and Renee were the last to leave. I promised to call them before I left for my honeymoon the next day. I'd kept them talking as long as I could for two reasons. The first being that this would be the last time I would see them for a long time, and the other was the nerves. I couldn't believe how much the nerves were eating away at me. I had wanted this for as long as I had known Edward and my nerves were making this so much more difficult than it needed to be. Each time we'd found ourselves in a compromising situation we had to stop, it had gotten those points so effortlessly, it was amazing to me that, now, we had to arrange it.

Edward never rushed me and had left me with my parents and Phil to help Alice clean up some of the mess from the wedding. The rental company would be coming early in the morning to collect the tent, table and chairs, and Alice could never sit still for long whilst there were things to be done.

When Edward finally came back and sank into the couch next to me, I found my strength. I knew that he was willing to put it off, but I couldn't, it was what I'd wanted for so long. So, to get my point across I exaggerated a yawn, and curled into Edward's side. He chuckled, and I knew it was at my lack of subtlety.

"Oh, we're keeping you two up." sighed Renee.

Charlie's eyes flickered between Edward and I and his eyes grew large. It took me a second to follow his thought process. I was horrified when I realized Edward was suppressing a laugh, he could hear Charlie's thoughts. I tried to contain the rising heat in my cheeks to no avail. I was probably a nice shade of pink. Charlie understood, he'd put two and two together and pulled out the correct answer. His daughter was going to be having sex for the first time, and he knew it. Little flashes of light in my eyes blinded me, I had just accelerated quickly beyond discountenance.

"No need to be embarrassed, Bella." Renee said, trying to be helpful. "It's been a long day, I'm sure the two of you are tired . . ." Now it was Renee's turn to blush.

Charlie jumped from his seat quickly and I stood with him, I was mortified. "I'll call you in the morning, before we leave okay Dad." my voice was uneven and full of chagrin.

Charlie nodded briefly and wrapped his arms around me pulling me tighter to him than he ever had before. I relaxed in his embrace. "I love you, Dad." I whispered.

"I love you too, Bells." his voice cracked as my name passed his lips.

He released me in one swift movement and stepped away. Renee was next, pulling me close to her and resting her head on my shoulder.

"Call me as much as you can, Bella."

"I will, Mom. I love you."

"I love you, Sweetheart."

Charlie was taking Renee and Phil back to the hotel before heading home so he waited for them by the door. I watched as the three of them headed towards the cruiser that was still parked by the side of the house. Edward and I stood at the door, my arms were wrapped around his waist, is was as much a need to keep vertical as it was a gesture of affection. I waved as they headed towards the driveway. It wasn't the best goodbye in the world, but I was holding onto the fact I would be able to say goodbye a little easier on the phone tomorrow, and if all went to plan, I could say spend a little more time with Charlie before I changed.

"That was awkward." laughed Edward.

I groaned and buried my face in his chest. "Do I even want to know what they were thinking?"

"No, I don't think you do." he chuckled as he pulled me inside and pushed the door closed.

"Where is everyone?" I asked looking up at his face.

"Hunting." Edward's voice was thick. I knew what was on his mind, and I hated that he doubted himself so much. I knew the risks and they were risks I was willing to take. I needed this last human experience before I became immortal. It had been my only request, the only thing I wanted to experience as a human.

I nodded and buried my head once again in his chest. Why was this so awkward?

"I need to change," I whispered, I felt the heat rise in my cheeks again.

Edward buried his head in my hair that I had taken down once the last of the guests had left. "I love you, Bella."

"That's Mrs. Cullen to you." I giggled. Trying to lighten the mood a little.

Edward chuckled at the name and pulled away from me. "I could definitely get used to that."

I stood on my toes and tried to reach him. I felt like I hadn't had as much time with him as I'd wanted to during the wedding. He smiled warmly and knowing what I wanted his lips met mine gently, the coolness sent a wave down my spine. His lips became a little more urgent, and I threw all of my enthusiasm into the kiss, his arms twisted around my waist and pulled me closer to him. Instinctual reaction took over and it had me tangling my arms around his neck, I had lost myself in the moment.

I half expected him to stop, as we always had when I became too over excited, but then the realization hit, this time he wouldn't, this was it, this was his end of the bargain to fill.

He pulled me up into his arms and carried me up the stairs quickly, I wouldn't have noticed but the speed made my hair flutter gently behind me. I think it was the fastest we'd ever reached the third floor and into his room.

Our lips never lost contact as he laid me gently on our bed. My heart spluttered in my chest at the excitement mixed in with the anxiety. I knew he'd heard it,he assumed it was the lack of breath, his lips made their way down my jaw to my neck, it was trailed by the fire under my skin. Electricity ran through my body at the feel of it, his hands, now tangled in my hair worked their way down my back. Spasms of excitement took over my body as my ragged breath filled the air around us.

A small moan escaped my lips as his hands gently unbuttoned the pearls that ran down my spine. The noise, no matter how subtle, seemed to excite him and his lips were once again against mine. His cool hands slid the dress down my shoulders gently and mouth moved to gently kiss my bare shoulder. This new sensation sent another wave of excitement though me, my body was reacting of it's own accord now and I found my hands at the buttons on his shirt.

There was no awkwardness as there had been the last time I had tried this, I had swiftly reached the bottom and pushed the shirt from his shoulders this time. Edward pulled me gently to my feet and I felt the dress fall to the floor, a pool of silk that danced beneath my feet. My hands fumbled clumsily with the buttons of his pants as he kissed my neck.

"Listen to your heart." he whispered huskily.

I was suddenly aware that I was stood in my underwear in front of him and I suddenly felt self conscious, it seemed like a silly and insignificant thing to be worried about because our intimacy was skyrocketing to another level. Edward looked down at me and his eyes widened. A hungry looked passed through his eyes, but it wasn't the thirst, it was something else, desire.

"I never imagined you could be anymore beautiful." he growled sexily.

My breathing hitched slightly as I finally won the battle with his pants, they slipped gently to the floor overlapping the silk of my dress. He stood in his underwear looking more like a greek god than any man should. It was almost too much for me, I felt my legs shaking beneath me and I knew I had to do something.

I flung my arms around his neck and kissed along his jaw line. His breathing grew more ragged, the shakiness ever evident as his arms lifted me to his his height. I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist and wet my lips, his eyes were glued to my mouth as I bit my lower lip.

"Bella," The desire was controlling his voice now, making the velvet gravelly.

His lips once again crashed against mine, one of his hands rubbed gently along my thigh causing me to moan involuntarily, he lowered us gently to the bed, my legs were tight around him as he hovered lightly over me. This was the ease I had been looking for, it felt so easy, so right, I could believe I had ever doubted myself.

His lips moved ever slowly to my chest, kissing the line of the bra I was wearing, I bit my lower lip to suppress the moan that was building, I didn't want to work him up to where it was over before it could begin. I ran my hands through his hair and over his shoulders. My hips arched to meet his.

A throaty grunt escaped him, the sound sent a wave of excitement through me, making every part of me ache for him. He was driving me crazy, he was moving so slowly, but I knew he wanted to keep control of himself. I had to be patient, I had to bite back my need for him.

His hand worked it's way under my body and pulled me up gently. I arched my back at the coolness of his touch, there was a trail of heat following his touch down my spine, the combined temperatures were more sensual that I could have ever imagined. My head dropped backwards as he reached his goal. His cool fingers unhooked the delicate lingerie and his palm spread out across the bare skin.

It was all too much for my mind to take in at once and I found a small breathy whimper escape my lips. Edward laid me on the bed gently and leaned over me to look in my eyes. His eyes were on fire, alight with every emotion we were both feeling.

"Did I hurt you?" he whispered, his cool breath washing over my bare skin.

My hand reached out for his face and stroked it gently. "No, Edward. Completely the opposite." I tried to catch my breath as I smiled at him.

He flashed me a seductive smile and touched my lips gently with his. My fingers once again tangled in his bronze hair holding his head in place as I strengthened the kiss. My body was exploding with the new feelings and sensations, it took everything in me not to throw myself at him, and beg for him to touch me again.

His lips worked their way down my neck and his cool tongue licked gently at the hollow of my throat, I gasped quietly This was new. His hands moved to the straps still sitting lightly on my shoulders. He slid them gently down my arms and pulled it away, discarding it to the growing pile at the side of the bed. I closed my eyes as his took in the contours of my body.

His fingers traced lightly over my breast, the cold of his hands caused my breasts to react naturally, I could feel the sensation as the iciness of his skin kept it's attention. My amazement came in the form of a moan, I could no longer contain myself as his fingers became more intimate with my body. I trembled with the building pleasure.

His mouth broke contact with my neck and his head hovered over my chest, the cool breath washed over the exposed skin causing a tightening in the pit of my stomach. My muscles tensed lightly at the pleasure of the feeling.

My legs, still wrapped around him, squeezed with the flexing of my muscles, my hips ground forward, rubbing against him. I felt the sign of his excitement as I moved against him. My stomach muscles clenched again at my discovery. I knew that this was making us both more excited, and I slowed the movement down when his breathing stopped.

"Bella, I want you."

His whisperer created a new surge of excitement to fill me. I didn't realize how much I needed those words until I heard them, I pulled him towards me, and his lips met mine. Our kisses were heated and dangerous, my hands ran over his cool hard shoulders and down his back. They stopped at the line of his underwear.

My fingers danced along the thin line of material that hugged his waist, as our kiss deepened my fingers slip gently under the fabric. Edward, understanding what I wanted and helped me remove the last of the barriers between our bodies.

The cool sensation that was now touching the most intimate parts of my skin made me shiver, but it was more sensual than anything I had ever experienced, my body felt as though it was exploding into life for the first time.

Edward's hands roamed over my naked body, his eyes drinking in everything that he saw. His body was more perfect than I could have ever imagined. As his body worked it's way up mine, I felt his hard member slid up my leg, it sent another wave of pure ecstasy through me. All of the fear I'd been feeling melted away as his eyes once again met mine.

He was hovering over me gently. His eyes met mine, the mixed emotion was easy to read, excitement and concern, but we'd gotten this far and I wasn't going to stop now, I would explode if he didn't at least try to finish what we'd started. The build up had me quivering with the pleasure.

His eyes questioned me and I nodded in answer, I knew what he was asking and I was giving him permission. My breath was coming in quick, labored spurts so I knew there was no talking now.

Edward closed his eyes and slid gently into me. The shock pulled a gasp from my lungs, but the small amount of pain that came with it was pleasurable. The cool feel of him inside of me was like a lighting bolt of euphoria. He stopped and my eyes flashed open, I smiled, letting him know it was safe to continue, our bodies fit together perfectly as we came together as one.

A small moan escaped Edward's lips as the extent of him filled me, my body reacted to his movement, my hips raised to meet his as he rocked back, I didn't want this to end, the exaltation filled me as we moved together. My breathing turned into pants as his tempo increased, the heat he created inside of me flooded around his coolness it brought a sigh of pleasure to my lips.

My hands slid down his body clawing at his marble skin, his lips met mine again and I moaned into his mouth, the smell of his breath heightened every ecstatic motion we made. My body shuddered with pleasure and an explosion crashed through my body. His lips moved away from my mouth and slid gently across my skin to my neck. My body arched as another surge flowed through me, my head fell back exposing my neck to him.

Edward's movements became more deliberate and a little rougher as his excitement grew, I knew I should slow us down but my body refused to make any movement that would take this feeling away. My head moved to his shoulder and his name escaped me as a moan against his cool skin.

Edward grunted and his hands slid down the side of my quivering body, his body tensed and shook gently against me and his hand tensed around me.

I heard the sound before I felt the pain, I knew he hadn't done it intentionally, but I knew I had to stop him, the pain was increasing as his hands grasped to me tighter, he was losing control, forgetting his strength. Another crack caused me to cry a strangled cry.

"Edward," I placed my hands on his chest and pushed, I knew the gesture would get his attention because I'd done nothing but pull him closer throughout our love making.

Edward's entire body froze and his eyes met mine, reading the obvious pain.

"Bella?" he whispered.

I closed my eyes and tried to block out the pain that was ripping through me now the pleasure had so abruptly stopped. I didn't need to speak though, he could hear the beat of my heart slow with the pain that crept through me.

He pulled out of me, I whimpered at the loss of him, but I knew we couldn't continue. The breaks would torture him, and even I knew, if he'd lost control completely it would have been so much worse.

I stayed completely still, Edward jumped from the bed, a tortured moan escaping him.

"What have I done?" his voice was rough. As he paced at the end of the bed, I couldn't move, I was worried about what the breaks would do inside of me. I was clumsy enough to have broken ribs before and I knew that this pain was so much more. Something was wrong, but I didn't want to scare Edward, the pain that was already covering his face was almost too much for me to bare.

"It's just a couple of ribs," I was surprised at the pain it took to speak, but I hoped he wouldn't notice.

Edward pulled on his boxers and picked up a silver phone that I hadn't noticed on the night stand.

"What are you doing?" I squeaked.

"Calling Carlisle." he snapped.

I bit my bottom lip. I felt hopeless lying in the middle of the bed in pain, naked no less. Edward's anger made me feel even worse, I felt like I had disappointed him.

The warm tears built in my eyes and clouded my vision. I bit back the sob that threatened to escape me as I watched Edward murmur into the phone. I felt like such a fool, he'd been so against this, almost as though he knew what would happen, but I had insisted. I was convinced he would never hurt me, and really he hadn't. Ribs were nothing to me, and, if I was being honest with myself, it was worth this to feel what I had within the throngs of passion. I would do it all again in a heartbeat, but I would never tell Edward that.

Edward snapped the phone shut and assessed the damage. I tried to wipe the tears away before it was too late, but my body wasn't fast enough.

Edward was beside me in a second, his cool fingers wiping the salty tears from my cheeks.

"Bella, how much pain are you in?" he begged, the torture once again making his usual velvet voice haggard.

"It's not the pain." I muttered, stroking his face gently. "It's the position I have put you in. I can see what this is doing to you, Edward. I feel so guilty."

"Bella, of all the things to be feeling right now, you feel _guilty_? Why aren't I surprised?" he sighed moving away from me again.

"Stay." I moaning pitifully.

"I'm just getting something to cover you. The others aren't far away and they're on their way back."

I nodded, but the movement created a surge of pain through me. My breath caught in my throat and I struggled to breath a little. I tried to hide it, but Edward had heard it. A glazed worried looked filled his eyes and his hand immediately went to def-con . . . The bridge of his nose. He knew it couldn't be good.

He headed back to the bed with a fluffy robe and laid it gently over my naked body.

"I'm so sorry, Edward." I forced out, my voice was strained and the pain was pulling at me, my body was trying to shut down to block out the feeling.

Edward laid beside me on the bed, his pained expression frightened me, why had I insisted on this. There was always a chance that this would happen, I had known that and I hadn't been afraid, even now I didn't regret it. I just hated the pain that was torturing Edward. He brushed his hand gently through my hair in rhythmic strokes, my breaths hitched a little more, my eyes drooped a little with the heaviness. I knew that this couldn't be good.

"Bella, I need you to stay awake for me. Please . . . oh God, what have I done? I'm so sorry."

The hand that wasn't on my hair fluttered over the pain, he didn't touch me, and I knew he felt useless. I was confused.

"What . . ." I managed to squeak out the word before the pain crushed me again.

"Don't speak," his torturous voice was heart breaking, "The broken rib has punctured your lung."

That didn't sound good at all.

"Edward!" Carlisle's voice filled the room quickly and urgently.

"I . . ." Edward's voice faded into nothing, I had caused him so much pain.

"It doesn't matter now." Carlisle's sympathetic voice filled the room. "How bad is it."

I never heard an answer, the pain was pulling me under now. I fought to stay afloat.

"Bella," Carlisle's voice was by my ear now, and I grasped at it pulling my head above the darkness.

"Mmm." I moaned, trying not to worsen the building pain.

"I can rush you to the hospital, it may be enough time, or we can . . ."

"NO!" Edward whimpered from somewhere in the room.

"Change . . ." I whimpered, "Edward . . ." The pain was palpable now. I was using all of my effort to stay awake. I hoped Carlisle would understand what I was asking for.

"Edward, she's given you her choice."

"But . . ."

"Edward, there's no time." Carlisle's warm voice was still sympathetic.

I didn't feel afraid anymore, and I welcomed this now. it was sooner than I thought but it was inevitable.

Edward hovered above me, his tortured eyes seemed darker than they had been this morning, I knew that was my fault. I was worried about him suffering along with me, and I hoped that he would, at some point during the transformation, walk away and take a break, but even in this disarray of pain, I knew it would never happen.

I smiled weakly so he would know I trusted him. There was no returning smile as his head slowly inclined to my neck. The pain was the worst thing that could happen to me now, and I was ready for it.

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**A/N: Twist to the story! Sorry I know that was a cruel thing to do during the throws of passion, but hey, my fingers did the talkin'! Like I said this is my first Lemon and I was trying to keep it tasteful, please let me know how I did.**

**Thanks for the Alerts and Faves and thank you to the REVIEWERS! YOU GUYS REALLY, TOTALLY AND UTTERLY ROCK!**

**BIG HUGZ-L-**


	4. Chapter 4

_**All Things Twilight belong to The Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

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**Chapter 5 - Metamorphosis  
**

Edward's teeth sank into my skin like a hot knife through butter, it wasn't as horrific as I'd thought it would be. The sharp pain screaming at me from my lungs overpowered the sensation. I closed my eyes as he worked on each of my limbs, he'd been through this so many times with Carlisle and I, I had expected this.

He'd wanted it to be as quick as possible, so he was planning to make as many bites across my body so it would spread through my system quickly.

I tried to relax as the burning began coursing through my veins. The fire was unbearable as my heart pumped it around my body. I clenched my jaw to stop the impending scream, it wouldn't help the situation and it would worsen the pain because of the punctured lung.

Edward sat crossed legged beside me, his head in his hands, but his eyes were still on my face, waiting for the pain to make it's appearance. It was distracting me from the burning so I locked my gaze on his for as long as I could. Carlisle was on my other side, holding my hand to comfort me.

The wave of fire took control of my body and I could feel every muscle in my body tighten with the surging pain. I bit back a scream, the pain was worse than I could have ever imagined. All of my preparations, all of my dull human memories of the pain that James had inflicted upon me sharpened. How could I have forgotten this pain so easily, how could I have forgotten the feel of the lava-like substance coursing through my veins. It was consuming me, eating away at the last of my resolve, my mind fell in and out of focus. It was too much.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head as my spine twisted and writhed with the pain. I could no longer see the beauty of my husband and it afforded me no distractions from the searing in my veins. The aching in my lung burned with the pain flowing through me, my body's involuntary movements were creating more pain in my chest.

'Three days' became a mantra in my mind as I twisted and writhed. I wished for the blackness to consume me now but the pain was unwilling to release me for long enough to fade out. Every beat of my heart pushed sent a wave of pain through me, the noise it made as it hammered in my chest, was like thunder rolling through a valley. How could I have wished this pain upon myself? I had asked for this and I could never take it back.

Edward's handsome face played a starring role behind my eyelids, my body was showing me the reason for the pain, why I was so willing to do this, it strengthened me just a little. I stopped wishing for the pain to consume me into the depths of blackness, I stopped wishing for death to take me.

My breaths were once again coming as panting, but it was not from the pleasure this time, it was pure liquid pain that flowed through me, still biting back the screams, the ragged, pain filled moans escaped my throat, I couldn't stop them as they built and became more powerful.

Three Days. And I had Edward for an eternity.

I let my mind collapse in on itself as the pain consumed me, I tried to concentrate on my memories again, I ran through each minute of time I had ever spent with Edward and the Cullens. My mother and father ran through my mind in the gaps I didn't want to fill with the truth, the things I never wanted to remember. Each beautiful word he ever spoke me, the notes, the touches, the kisses.

Pain was an intrusion to the memories that filled me, creating throaty groans of pain to escape me. I wanted to open my eyes and see Edward's face, I had no idea how much time had past since the pain had pulled and tugged at me, I was grateful for the lack of pain in my lungs, the fury of the fire had burned it from me.

The black of my eyelids filled with the painful memories of the separation, that Edward and I had forced ourselves through, I fought to keep the happier memories at the forefront of my mind but the burning was like the torture of the long months. The hole that had invaded my heart.

Three Days. I would no longer be Louis Lane.

I wish I knew how long I had been writhing like this, the gasps of air escaping me like a dragon breathing fire. I could almost feel the hardening of my skin and bones as they became the indestructible exterior of a vampire. The pain was immense. Every movement my body made, send my heart into a wild frenzy pushing the venom through me faster.

"Carlisle, she's in so much pain, please isn't there anything we can do?" I heard the begging in Edward's voice and I wished he would leave, this was hurting him almost as much as the fire that ran through my veins. His tortured face sprang into my mind, the face that was holding the pain as Jane forced him to the ground with her strange talent. I writhed again in the agony of the memory and the pain.

A large surge worked through my body and my muscles bunched together making my body roll into itself, it was the worse surge yet and there was nothing I could do to stop the strange contortion of my body, I was frozen in a wall of pain. Every inch of my was screaming, How much longer could I do this, my mind was becoming so dull, the memories so fuzzy, i wanted to keep them sharp so they would help me through this, but the were fading like a television with bad reception. I wanted to cry but my body wouldn't allow it, everything was curled in towards my chest.

"Carlisle?" Edward's voice filled my mind bring his angels face to the forefront. I would do anything to take the pain from his voice, his pain folded into mine in waves.

"It's okay, Edward. The venom is in her heart. It shouldn't be too much longer."

"It's only been two days."

"It's been sixty-two hours now."

Sixty-two hours, had the pain really been enveloping me for that long? It felt like an eternity, but in the same breath like it also felt like such a short time. Had the blackness helped me at all? Had I unconsciously been screaming? Guilt surged through me with the pain now and I tried to concentrate. Trying to find the gaps in time, I attributed it to my memories, the memories were my saving grace, they had to be, it was the only explanation I could find.

A pain in my chest had my hand clutching at it, I hadn't realized my limbs were working again, I could almost hear my heart stuttering in my chest as it strained for it's last beats. Should I try and flatten myself again? The room was becoming clearer, i could hear the breathing, the movement, and I knew the exact second someone passed through the door.

"How is she?" I heard Alice's sweet voice fill my head.

"Her heart is giving up."

"I know." she sang quietly. "She can hear everything your saying, I can see her decisions as she struggles."

"Bella, love. Can you hear me?" Edward's velvet voice sounded so beautiful to me, it was like a warm shower covering every inch of my skin.

The pain in my chest accelerated and took away my train of thought, my heart thundered loudly and echoed in the confines of my mind. Should it be this painful still? Then there was silence.

The pain ceased to exist in me and I felt my body collapsed around me. I felt lost in my own mind, I couldn't hear or see anything, and all the feeling was gone.

"Bella?" This voice was so strange yet so familiar to me, it was calling me out of the numbness, and I at once understood as sound flooded my senses. I could hear the cars on the highway, the animals padding quietly in the forest, the labored breathing of three people surrounding me. The breathing was hollow and empty sounding.

I let my eyes flicker open slowly. Everything came into a sharp focus, I could almost see the vibrations as they traveled through the air with the sounds. I watched as the patterns filled the air around me.

Then I saw him, his face so much more beautiful than I could have ever committed to memory as a human, his pale skin glistened slightly in the dull light. Every perfect angle was more pronounced and framed his beautiful black eyes.

Dust fragments danced gently with his easing breath swirling lightly around the air he was breathing, the only thing I could compare it to was waves hitting the shore. They would roll in slowly as he inhaled and dance away as he exhaled. I saw every stand of his multi hued hair, I had never noticed the subtle changes in colors as the hair danced lightly in the air, it was a breath taking beauty, one I could watch for an eternity if allowed to.

"Bella?" his beautiful textured voice had so many layers to it that it practically painted a picture behind my eyes. It was like a soft velveteen blanket wrapping around my still form as I laid on the bed.

I felt every move my body made as I smiled at my handsome husband.

I saw the subtle movement in the darkness of his eyes as relief spread through him. I moved my arm towards his face to stroke it gently, but the speed that my arm moved surprised me, Edward caught my hand in his and chuckled.

"Sorry," I heard the changes in my voice instantly, my voice was almost musical as it sent the dust dancing across the air in front of me.

"It takes some getting used to." he soothed gently.

I nodded and dragged in a long breath, with it came my sense of smell, the scent that had once been delectable to me as a human was now unexplainable, it was the most wonderful thing I had ever encountered. I sighed with the feeling of contentment that washed through me. The peace after the pain was almost haunting, the memory of the fire was like crystal in it's clarity, almost palpable in my mind, I tried to push hit away and focus on what was beside me . . . Edward.

I sat up, thinking about the actions I made so I could slow the movements down to a regular pace. I clung to the fabric that loosely covered me. The room was still filled with the dim light, but looking out the window I could only see blackness. There were no lights on in the room, yet I could see perfectly clear. Carlisle was still close by, his eyes wide as he watched me adjust to my enhanced movements.

"What time is it?" I asked looking around the room.

"It's eleven-fifteen in the morning, and it's Tuesday." Alice sang.

I looked towards her. Alice's beauty was so much more pronounced than I had seen her as a human, she looked like an angel too, stood at the end of the bed with a beaming smile. He black hair had almost a blue quality to it. The ends were styled into perfection, framing her beautiful face.

"Why is black outside?" I asked looking towards the window again in confusion. I couldn't understand the difference, the room was dark but I could see, yet it was dark outside and I could see nothing. I could see something that confused me in the glass, small textures that were obstructed by reflections of objects.

"It's not, it's the metal shutter we have for the window wall." she said bouncing on the balls of her feet. She looked like she was holding something in. She wore her excitement on her sleeve as she fidgeted around. She was almost too easy to read now.

I raised my eyebrows and looked to Edward.

"You were screaming loudly at one point, we had to shut them to keep the noise in." he blanched a little at the memory.

Dammit, I had tried so hard.

"Sorry," I whispered quieter than I thought was possible.

"You did incredibly well, Bella. You screamed twice in more than sixty hours, we kept them closed as a precaution. You really have nothing to apologize for." Carlisle beamed at me. His handsome face wore a large smile.

Once again I was surprised at how little my eyes picked up as a human, how could I have dulled this beauty so much with my vision. The clarity and perfection of the creatures surrounding me were almost painful.

I took a deep breath, it wasn't needed but it still felt natural. An irritating itch caught my attention, it was located at the back of my throat and I felt like I could happily cough a hair-ball if it would dull the irritation. My fingers scratched gently at my neck below my jaw. All three eyes watching me widened and it reminded me why my throat was burning to begin with. The thirst.

Surprisingly, it was quite bearable, I wondered whether this was the reasoning behind the lack of connection. I had been prepared for the worst, and I'd been ready for the burning desire to control my thoughts and judgments, but it was just a minor irritation. I had been so worried about this. My tongue felt oddly like sandpaper, and I could happily drink something to ease the itching burn, but it wasn't the desperation I had been expecting.

"How bad is it?" Edward asked, his eyes were once again filled with sorrow.

"It's actually not." I said looking to Carlisle for an answer. "I feel like I've been asleep for a long time. Do you remember that feeling as a human? When you wake up and your tongue is dry with thirst. Not unbearable, just irritating, really."

"Hmm, I almost expected this, I've never heard of a vampire who chose this life. Everything with you will be experimental to begin with I'm afraid." his voice was apologetic. "The thirst could come later, I'm really not sure what to expect at this point."

"No, Alice!" Edward's sudden exclamation caught me off guard.

"What?" I asked, I felt the skin around my eyes move as my eyes widened, it was a strange sensation.

"Nothing." Edward murmured.

I looked to Alice for an answer.

"It was an errant thought, not important." she said in her sing song voice.

I heard a door somewhere in the house open, and I looked to Edward. He understood what I wanted.

"The others are coming home, they went hunting."

I nodded and moved to get off the bed, grasping the robe as I moved so would reveal nothing to my family members.

I wasn't uncomfortable at all, it was oddly comfortable staying still like that, but I wanted to experiment with my new legs. I slid of the bed easily and found myself on my feet. I half expected to fall forwards, or stumble, but I felt unusually stable and highly confident in my balance. I could feel the dried salt on my body as I moved, I must have been sweating during the change.

"I need a shower." I sighed as I maneuvered the robe around me until it was on. I ran my hand across the silkened skin of my arm and heard the slightly sandy movement that moved with the motion.

Alice giggled, the sound was like crystal bells ringing sweetly on the wind. "Come on, Bella. I'll help you out. I also want to see your reaction to your reflection, I can't remember seeing myself looking any other way than this, and I can see the changes in you." She sighed happily and pushed me towards the bathroom, where I knew my toiletries were.

I turned to catch Edward's eye, there was a look of awe in his eyes, tainted only by fear and concern. I flashed him a smile and continued to let myself be dragged. I saw the returned smile before the door was pushed closed.

We came to a stop in the front of the mirror and Alice released me. Her eyes were almost twinkling with the excitement she was trying to contain. The figure in front of me caught my attention and I almost turned around to see who was behind me. A dark haired beauty stood in my place, the bone structure was still my own but the alabaster skin stretched across it in perfection, accentuating each line perfectly. The crimson eyes were a little disturbing, but I was comforted by the fact they would leave with time. Through the robe I could see the curves of my body, I seemed to have developed muscles throughout my body that defined each line of my body perfectly. I was beautiful, just like the rest of the Cullens. I doubted I touched Rosalie's perfection, but I was happy with what was reflected towards me. That was more than I could have ever hoped for.

I was mesmerized by my own reflection and ran my hands over each contour for the first time watching the fabric of the robes move with my fingers.

Alice laughed lightly behind me, "Distracting, isn't it."

I nodded my agreement, unable to take my eyes from the mirror.

"Imagine how you'll look _after_ your shower." she laughed. Pushing me towards the large shower built into the wall.

There were multiple shower heads positioned around the stone tiled cubicle and my mouth dropped. I'd only ever used the Cullen's guest bathroom when I stayed, there was nothing this extravagant in that bathroom. The machine that stood before me looked complicated. I turned to Alice.

"Help, how do you work this thing?" I asked giggling.

"Oh, I forgot you never had the pleasure of this shower, I have one in my bathroom too, it's phenomenal. Massages at every angle." she leaned forward and pointed to a dial on the wall, there were so many buttons I was glad I didn't attempt this on my own.

She explained what each button did and how to commit my own settings to it's memory, it was amazing how my brain absorbed everything so entirely. By the time she was finished I could have worked the settings with my eyes closed. This explained the perfect grades and the multiple languages at least. I sighed and watched Alice dance out of the bathroom. She promised to find me something to wear before closing the door.

The shower was amazing, each bead of water that hit my body I felt, the heat was also comforting as ran down my skin, and the steam. If I hadn't known any better I would have thought I could hold it in the palm of my hand. Everything was so new to me, it excited me. There was a whole world of knowledge and experience waiting for me that, I was glad that I had an eternity to discover it all.

The smell of my strawberry shampoo was comforting to me and held more nostalgia than I thought possible. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the invisible fingers of the shower, trying to calm my mind again. Now I understood Edward's comment about distractions.

I hit the switch on the panel to turn off the water and grabbed the towel I had laid on the rack, it felt so soft and springy against me that I closed my eyes and let the fabric play against my skin. Everything felt so new, but still so familiar, it made some things a little difficult to absorb.

There were clothes laid out for me on the counter and I could do nothing but grin. Alice had taken pity on me and supplied me with jeans and a t-shirt, an ensemble she normally hated on me, but I figured she wanted me to be comfortable before she began playing dress up again. I knew that my body had more curves and lines than before, but it would still take some getting used to.

I wiped off the mirror and gazed at my naked self, running my fingers across the smooth lines of my stomach and the bones of my hips. I could see every difference in myself now. The softness that had covered my body was now stiff and smooth as stone, there were no imperfections anymore. The small lines and ridges of muscles were carved into my skin making my body unfamiliar to me. Unfamiliar, but very welcome. I liked the reflection that stared back at me. I just hoped it would afford me more confidence.

I heard the footsteps approach the door and stop. Knowing how vampires really heard made some things a lot more clear to me.

"Bella?" Edward's voice carried through to me again, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Are you alone?" I asked timidly, I had a body but that was no cause for flaunting it.

"Yes," He chuckled.

"Come in then."

He stepped through the door and froze, he eyes ran the length of my body slowly, he drank in every inch of me. His eyes stopped when they reached mine and I giggled at the pure lust that was present. This was something I wanted to see, he'd always had a way of making me feel beautiful, but the look in his eyes at this particular moment were almost scandalous, but very appealing to me.

"What do you think?" I squeaked, waiting for the blush that would never come.

"Exquisite," he stepped forward, "beyond words," another step, "Delectable" his arms wrapped around my waist. "I have never seen anything like it."

I spun in his arms until I was facing him. I needed more of his beautiful face.

"Bella, I'm so sorry about . . ."

I cut him off with a kiss, I never wanted to hear an apology for this, the night we had spent making love had been wonderful, and the only mistake was me being selfish, I had let him continue even when I knew he was losing control. I had taken my fate into my own hands, and he was blaming himself.

"No, Edward. I should be the one apologizing."

He frowned at me, a tiny, almost invisible line appeared between his eyebrows and his arms tightened around me, creating a warmth where our skin met. The feeling was also very distracting, because I realized that this was the first time he had ever applied any kind of force with me in his arms. It was more exciting than I could have possibly imagined. I tried to get my mind back on topic.

"I could see you slipping, and I was too selfish to stop. Your movements became a little less controlled and I could see what would happen if I let you continue, but the feeling was all I could concentrate on, it felt euphoric, explosive almost. I knew that I should stop you but my greed for those feelings . . ."

My body shuddered lightly remembering the the ecstasy of our love making. The pit of my stomach warmed and flexed.

I looked up to catch shock in Edward's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Edward." I said and I laid my head against his chest and sighed.

"I enjoyed it too," He whispered into my hair. "But I can never forgive myself for hurting you, it was my responsibility to keep control and I failed."

I snorted and he pulled away from me, trying to read my expression.

"Edward, you did more than I ever could of, I could never have controlled myself in that situation, and when I look back at that, I realize how selfish it was of me to ask you to do that."

"One small request, and you call yourself selfish." Edward rolled his eyes and pulled me to him.

We held one another for a while, and I let myself commit the perfect molding of our bodies against one another to my memory. The pain, so evident in my mind, was worth it, I couldn't imagine not being pulled against Edward so tightly. How much I had missed as a weak human.

Footsteps, venturing to the third floor pulled us apart.

"I'll get the door, you get dressed." he smirked happily, I could see his annoyance at the interruption and my mind wandered to where the touching would have taken us.

He left the bathroom and pulled the door closed behind him. I heard the deep voice as Edward reached the door, the sound was melodic, so I assumed it was Emmett. The chuckle confirmed my suspicions as I pulled on my clothes. The material slid over my skin causing my eyes to close and my mind to once again wander. So many distractions, I wandered how the Cullen's functioned. I looked in the mirror and rolled my eyes.

Typical Alice had been kind enough to give me jeans and a t-shirt, but the jeans were tight enough to show every curve to my body and the t-shirt clung tightly against my chest and ribs. I should have known, nothing was that simple with Alice.

I ran a brush through my hair and headed out of the bathroom, following the voice of Emmett and Edward. Emmett let out a whistle and Edward raised his eyebrows. I could see that look again, so I tried to keep my breathing steady, after all, Emmett was in the room with us. I should be able to control myself.

"Talk to your sister!" I laughed at Edward and Emmett as I headed towards the closet in search of a sweater. I couldn't care less if it was mine or Edward's, as long as it was baggy. I needed some coverage, I was feeling a little exposed.

I found a large Dartmouth sweater and pulled it over my head. I guess plan b, was out the window. There would be no college for me, not this time at least, I knew I had plenty of time to catch up on things like that. The sweater was Edward's and it fell down to my mid thigh, I smiled in satisfaction. Alice had been thwarted, for now, and I was happy with the outcome.

I stepped out of the closet and spread my arms at the two men in front of me.

"Ta Da!" I sang happily.

Edward and Emmett chuckled at me and then both hooked their arms into mine.

"Don't worry little sis. We'll protect you." laughed Emmett.

"From what?" I asked almost digging my heels in.

"Alice." they laughed in unison and marched me down the stairs.

"Isabella Marie Cullen!" Alice stood hands on hips, tapping her foot. I felt like a four year old being reprimanded.

"Yes?" I asked trying to keep up my confidence. I dropped my arms from Edward and Emmett. Hoping it would give me something of an upper hand, but, even as small as Alice was, she looked ferocious.

"Do you have any idea what I went through to put that little ensemble together?"

"Nope." I said popping the p.

Alice rolled her eyes and tugged at the oversized sweater covering me. I growled playfully, giggling at the new sound I could make. I wasn't sure at my chances, but I grasped to the fact that I was stronger than anyone in the family for now, Maybe it was enough to divert her for now.

Alice's eyes lit up.

"I'm coming too!" she directed at Edward.

I looked between the two of them and raised my eyebrows. "Where exactly are we going?" I asked.

"Hunting."

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**A/N:** **Sheesh, that was almost painful to write, trying to find three days worth of pain is difficult. I liked writing the whole experiencing everything for the first time as a vampire. I hope I was able to write it as I imagined it. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the chapter.**

**Thank you for Alerts and Faves, and thank you to the . . . THE REVIEWERS . . . YOU GUYS REALLY ROCK!**

**BIG HUGZ - L -**


	5. Chapter 5

_**All Things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer**_

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**Chapter 6 - The Hunt**

Edward and Alice flanked me on both sides as we left the house, if the rest of the family hadn't just returned from hunting themselves their curiosity would have surely gotten the better of them and they would have followed.

I was glad for this small fact, I was sure I would get enough stage fright with an audience of two, let alone seven.

"You ready to try running?" Edward smiled picking up my hand.

I grinned at him and nodded. It was obviously enthusiastic because both Alice and Edward laughed. Edward pulled me gently and took off quickly. Due to my lack of coordination I had never really run much, but I was surprised how effortless it really was. I knew Edward wasn't running at his full speed because Alice was at my other side keeping pace easily. How was it so impossibly easy to run when I'd found difficult coordinating myself for even the most mundane tasks as a human. What was it about being a vampire that made the balance easier? I was sure it was the hyper awareness and the animalisitic reflexes.it was the only explanation I could come up with so I stuck to it.

The wind blew my damp hair over my shoulders as we dodged easily through the trees. The sounds and smells filling my senses were almost overwhelming, I could hear so much going on around my that it was an effort to keep my head straight. The ants sounds as though they were stamping along the earth below their feet, if I hadn't seen them I would have believed it was a herd of elephants rather than an army of ants, but the sound correlated with the movements so perfectly there was no denying the source.

The smells ranged so widely I didn't have time to identify something before a new scent hit me. I wondered whether this was how a dog felt as it rode with it's head out of the window. The thrill of it was amazing. Had my humans sense been so dull that I had missed so much of natures magnificence? It almost seemed unfair, why would we be placed into the world using only a sixteenth of our natural senses? Was it all in our heads, had the human species evolved using less of their senses, or had they never reached their potential? I almost laughed out loud at myself, it was too easy to become distracted, and all to easy to be philosophical.

Our pace slowed a little after we'd been running for a while, I didn't realize how far we'd traveled until we stopped and I looked up. We were close to the mountains now and the trees had thickened considerably. I doubted any human would venture out this far, but I knew there was always a chance. I had to be prepared for that, I didn't want to be weak. So far I had been lucky.

"Listen." Edward whispered and he crouched lower to the ground. Alice followed suite, her small form low to the ground. I instinctually followed their lead and crouched towards the ground listening intently to the wind.

A chorus of heartbeats reached my ears, no two beats were the same rhythm. The muffled sound of hooves accompanied the dull thuds. I felt the natural pull of my instincts as I listened harder. I could hear everything, the noses rummaging through the ground, the click of their teeth as they chewed, the gently swaying of the grass as they exhaled through their noses. I rolled to the balls of my feet ready to take off when I picked up the strongest heartbeat.

Without the go ahead I sprang forward and wound through the trees, my feet dug into the ground pushing me towards the sound of the conjunctive heartbeat, they sped up to where they were indistinguishable, but I could still hear the strongest, it stood out in the most profound way. The sound became louder as I closed the distance between us, my throat for the first time truly burned in anticipation. My feet hit the ground in rhythm with the heart, thump, thump, thump.

I broke through the trees and leapt into the middle of the herd, the trampling to escape created a large wave of noise but my focus was on the large antlered beast ahead of me. I could practically smell his blood as his heart pumped it quickly through his body. His fear made him more distinguishable making shadowing his movements easier. I caught up with him quickly and bit down on his neck stepping away as the venom immobilized him, he hit the ground sliding a short distance before stopping, but I was at his throat before the movement had stopped completely. The fire in my throat was pounding as let the warm liquid slide down my throat, there was gratification in the kill as the burning dulled to a low thud. I hadn't realized I was thirsty until my body took over and fed it's need. The smell, so was so much stronger from the open wound but the smell was carried away with the wind.

I stood up when the animal was drained and looked down at myself, I could now see why Alice had no longer contested my insistence of wearing the sweater. The bright crimson droplets were absorbed by the fabric quickly causing the color to darken before my eyes. The dark stain spread through the fabric before losing steam and clinging to the woven strands. It was odd seeing something like that in action, it was as though the liquid had a mind of it's own as it traveled.

How did the Cullen's keep so clean?

"It takes some getting used to," Alice laughed eyeing the ruined Dartmouth sweater. "You'll get there eventually."

I looked down at myself again but my attention was stolen when Edward trotted towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"That was impressive." he whispered kissing my neck.

I smiled, I liked the feeling of being able to impress him, I felt as though we were on the same level, equals. I could hopefully hold my own in a couple of months and it would make our forever even more perfect than it was now. The sounds of the herd reached me before the smell, my head jerked up quickly.

"Ready for more?" Alice asked inclining her head towards the direction the herd had taken. I nodded, eager to satiate the last of the dull throbbing in my throat. I knew it would never go away completely, but I was happy that it wasn't what I had been warned about, it was bearable.

Edward, Alice and I shot towards the thundering of the hooves, they knew we were still in the area, and wouldn't settle until they were sure we'd left, so the fun of it was all in the chase now. We were much faster than the herd as a collective and we circled around them quickly, picking out the strongest as we darted through them, each of us taking our turn patiently, two would feed one would circle. We left the young ones alone, and double heartbeats meant the doe was pregnant so I avoided them too.

After three, relatively large bucks, I felt satisfied and watched Edward and Alice move among the animals. I circled the herd making sure that they stayed grouped together. Edward and Alice were quick as lightning and fluid in their movements, their grace was untouched by the cantering deer. They danced among them easily.

Alice had her own way of taking down the deer, she ran alongside them excitement filling her wide eyes, then she swung an arm around them digging her heels in the ground to slow the animal down. Before they had stopped completely she lifted it from the ground and pulled it down onto it's side, her mouth at it's neck before it could put up any resistance.

I could tell that the deer wasn't Edward's preferred food choice because he took them down easily, I guessed the lack of fight made it too easy, and my mind wandered to the conversations we'd had about his and Emmett's hunting habits. I made a mental note to hunt with them when the next went on a hunt for bears, I was eager to see Emmett and his grizzly bears. I also had a burning desire to see Edward with his mountain lions.

It didn't take long for them both to finish their meal, Alice was the first to join me as I circled the herd. Her eyes were the warmest yellow I had ever seen them, they almost sparkled in the dull light of the afternoon. I hoped mine would soon resemble them, I hated that my eyes reflected my immaturity as a vampire. I slowed from my run to watch Edward take down his last deer, he was amazing, his muscle rippled through his arms as he caught the animal, his eyes flashed with excitement as the stag kicked fiercely. Yes, I would most definitely have to see him with the mountain lions to appreciate his strength and grace as a hunter.

Edward drained his prey easily and lay it in it's side, when we released the herd we would have to clear up the evidence, but for now, I was enjoying the fresh air and the sight of my husband as his thirst was subdued.

Then his head snapped to the west.

"Alice!" Edward's voice rang out only seconds before Alice and I heard the sound. There was the gently pounding of paws on the damp bracken, the sound wasn't very far away and it was moving quickly. Edward was by my side in a second.

"We have to leave, now!"

"What . . ."

Alice was cut of by Edward answering her thought. "I don't know, Alice."

The two of them flanked me on either side and we took off towards the house at full speed, I thought I knew what I was hearing back there, but I was too afraid to ask. The gently pounding was still following us, keeping in tempo with our footfalls.

We jumped the porch steps easily, I was finding out more about myself every minute, the power in my stride, my legs pushing me quickly forward with the smallest of commands. I almost wished I had time to appreciate it. There was so much of my new self I hadn't had time to discover yet. We almost crashed through the door, but Edward was able to open it before any damage was done, and we filed inside quickly. Edward slammed the door closed behind us.

"What's going on?" Carlisle asked as he and Esme appeared in the living room.

"Jacob." Edward's tone carried so many emotions I could barely pick out the predominant one. It scared me, had he heard Jacob's thoughts, was I in danger from my former best friend?

Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie filed into the room quickly. This was the first time I'd seen Rosalie since my transformation and I wasn't sure how she would react to me. Our friendship had grown so much over the last couple of months I hated to lose that now.

"Did you hear his thoughts?" Carlisle asked after a moment.

Edward nodded and I caught his eyes darting to me in my peripheral vision, he was still trying to protect me. It annoyed me a little, for the first time I was his equal, I was stronger than he was at this point, a little more clueless, but strong. I just needed a little direction to protect myself. I would never use this again Jacob, I couldn't, I would always see his as the gangly teenage boy, no matter what form he took. I knew he must be angry and in pain, but there was nothing within my power that would allow me to help him.

"His instincts had taken over, he's been in that form for too long. He was being led by his nose."

Carlisle nodded. "Where is he now?"

"Circling the house, he doesn't realize he's breaking the treaty right now."

"Maybe he does, maybe he's already considered Bella as a dissolution of the treaty." Rosalie sighed. She gave me a slight smile, I guessed it was her way of letting me know she wasn't upset.

"This is what I was worried about." I sighed. The air of my breath disturbed the particles floating in the air. I realized this was why Esme was constantly cleaning the house. I watched as they settled on each surface.

"It's not your fault, Bella. He's as stubborn as an ox. He knew this was coming, the pack don't see this as a break in the treaty, they've overlooked it, the see it as your personal choice." Edward said wrapping his arms tightly around my waist.

I hadn't realized that the other wolves had known of my transformation, had the noticed my disappearance? Had they realized what that meant? Or was it the screaming? Had my screaming alerted them to my transformation? I realized it didn't matter, if they had accepted it, there wasn't much more I could ask for from them. Except, perhaps, this one last request.

"Can I see your phone, Edward?"

Edward raised his eyebrows but complied. I flipped open the phone and scrolled through the numbers. I knew that he would have the number in there, because they had become friends. I found the Clearwater's number and hit send.

I held the phone away from my ear, the ringing sound was louder and more obnoxious than I had remembered. I tried to push the sound to the back of my mind as I waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?" Leah's harsh voice carried down the phone and I cringed, it wasn't who I wanted to speak to.

"Is Seth there please?" I asked as sweetly as I could.

"One minute." she sighed. I was happy she hadn't recognized my voice. I guessed that the new tones hadn't alerted her to who or what I was either.

"Seth, phone." I heard her muffled call, it was clear even though her hand had cover the mic of the phone.

"Hello?" Seth answered.

"Seth, it's Bella."

"You sound weird, how are you feeling after . . ." his voice trailed off and I realized that Leah was still hanging around.

"Surprisingly well. Eh, have any of the pack phased today?"

The Cullen's looked at me with wide eyes, Edward smiled proudly.

Seth groaned into the phone, "He's there isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's circling the house." I sighed.

"I'm on it, is Edward or Carlisle there, if we have to come get him I don't want to be trespassing." he sighed.

I held out the phone to Edward, he took it without a second thought. I knew he'd heard Seth's request, agreeing was just a formality.

"Hey, Seth, it's Edward."

"Before I go to Sam, I wanna get permission to come get Jacob, man. Is that cool?" Seth asked. He was a smart kid, he'd just made it easier for the pack to collect their lost brother.

"That's fine, just give us a call if you have any problems. We'll stay inside so there's no confusion."

"Thanks man, I'll talk to you later."

Edward flipped the phone shut and pushed it into his pocket. I heard every groan and sigh of the fabric as it stretched to accommodate the phone. All of the noises and smells were so distracting, it took a lot of effort to concentrate.

"Seth will talk to Sam, he's going to try and get the pack up here to take Jacob home. I gave them permission to cross the treaty line." Edward sighed.

I walked slowly, using every bit of my concentration to keep it slow, to the window. I could see the oversized wolf sprinting around the house, occasionally stopping to glare at the house before pushing himself onward. Why did things have to be so complicated? Poor Jake was hurting, and I was still the one causing that pain. I'd put him through so much, driven him from his home, I wished I could make things better for him, but I doubted he would listen now he considered me an enemy.

Edward came up behind me and placed his hands on my hips, his hands felt comforting against me. So familiar, but so different, we were the same temperature now so there was no more shock from the coolness of his skin. I listened to the hypnotic sound of Jacob's paws as they pounded the circle he was creating. The sound was like a heartbeat, rhythmic, steady, constant.

"He hears them coming." sighed Edward.

"Is the whole pack on their way?"

Edward nodded his head, his hair bounced lightly catching the light as it moved. I reached out my hand to touch the strands as they settled against his head. It felt so soft, I couldn't put words with the sensation, I was lost in the feel of it, watching it as it ran through my fingers lightly twisting to follow my hands movements.

Edward chuckled lightly, pulling me out of the obsessive state. My eyes met his and I returned the smile, the beauty of the crooked smile was breathtaking now that I could see it clearly. His beautiful lips moved gently, slowly, raising one side of his mouth slightly higher than the other. I was compelled to kiss him in that moment and I couldn't control the urge, but it wasn't the time for this, I had to focus on something else for now. I brushed my fingers against his lips and tore my eyes away from his.

I hadn't noticed the silence from outside until now. There was no gently thrumming from the pounding of paws on the damp ground. I saw Jacob, he was closer to the house, his eyes boring into me as I stood in plain sight. His shaggy head was tipped slightly to the side watching me as I fixed my gaze on his. His eyes held conflicting emotions. It was almost as though his mind was split down the center, as though he couldn't decide which side to listen to, both needs driving him forward, slowly.

His front paw picked up as he stepped closer still, I could see the confusion. He didn't want to hate me, but the wolf in him was bred to call me enemy, to protect his people from the monstrosity of my kind. If he could only be as open minded as Seth, I knew how different Seth's attitude was to the other nine wolves, but his heart was so pure, I couldn't imagine and ounce of hate coming from him. Why couldn't Jacob do the same? I knew the answer to that immediately, it was never because of the birthright it was me, I was getting in the way again and causing more problems for everyone. He could easily look over the enmity as Seth had, but he chose not to, because Edward had me.

"Can he hear me?" I asked Edward. Watching as Jacob battled with himself.

"Yes, his hearing is as good as ours."

I locked eyes with him again, "I'm sorry Jacob, for everything. I never meant for this to hurt you." I sighed.

Jacob took another step forward, the wind ruffled his long fur as it blew through the open space. He laid down in the grass, the soft sighing noise was louder than I had remembered it in the clearing, my new ears picking up ever rustle of fur as he made himself comfortable. His large head fell slowly to his paws but his eyes never left me.

"What's he doing?"

"The others are almost here, he's calming himself before they get here."

Edward chuckled lightly and nodded.

"What?"

"He didn't think it was possible for you to be anymore beautiful than you were."

"Aw Jake, cut it out." I giggled. The sound danced around me. I had to stop following such insignificant noises and movements. I had to keep focused.

Jacob's eyes brightened briefly as he head laid on his paws. Edward laughed beside me.

"He says it's good to see you haven't changed, much."

I poked my tongue out at him and smiled. It was an odd feeling, speaking to him through glass, but I wasn't sure how it would go down if I approached him, especially with the scent that he would say smelled bad to him. I guessed my days of smelling good were over.

Jacob's head lifted and he looked to the west, the others were here, I didn't need anyone to tell me anymore, I could hear the thunderous sound as the nine wolves appeared from the tree line and approached Jacob. They were all so big, but Sam stood taller than the rest, his large black form, unusually graceful for an animal so large. The others stopped by the trees, but sam continued forward, a sandy colored wolf on his heels. I knew this was Seth, I recognized him from our time on the mountain. Sam continued forward towards Jacob, but Seth cut away and headed towards the house, his mouth in the form of a smile.

Edward smiled and nodded at him. "Seth thanks you for calling."

I grinned at the sandy wolf and he turned and padded toward Jacob and Sam.

I knew that the situation was diffused for now, but the realization that we would have to leave soon ate at me, I knew that this could never work out the way I wanted, Jacob and I could never really be close friends the tenor of our relationship had changed with the realization that I loved him. Everything was more complicated, and now, the fact that I was a vampire, made things even more confusing.

I hated hurting him, and that's all I would ever do to him. I was happily married, and no matter how much I loved him, it would never be enough.

The three wolves headed towards the others, I was afforded one last glance at Jacob, his eyes darted to me and his eyes now calm closed gently. The large Russett wolf turned to face the window again, his face was twisted into what could only be read as a smile and he threw out his overgrown tongue. I laughed at the gesture and waved before they once again, disappeared into the trees.

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**A/N: Hunting; I think this is the fourth time I have written a hunting scene and it still doesn't get any easier. I am trying something a little different on this storyline, I am posting every other day and I am writing ahead so I can keep the continuity on track. I am on Chapter nine at the moment . . . but we'll get to that later ;0). Looking forward to hearing what you think.  
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**Thank you for the Alerts and Faves, you guys are so awesome . . . and a huge THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS WHO MAKE ME SMILE WITH THEIR KIND WORDS, THANK YOU, SINCERELY, YOU GUYS ROCK!!**

**BIG HUZ - L -**


	6. Chapter 6

_**All Things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer**_

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**Chapter 7 - Clandestine**

The weeks passed like days and I hadn't seen Jacob since the day of my first hunt. I was surprised how quickly the time did pass, Alice had been using me as a life sized Barbie, much to Rosalie's amusement. I found myself wearing something new everyday, it was such a waste, I still hadn't perfected the art of hunting and I spoiled most of the beautiful clothes that she gave me to wear. I tried to hunt at least every other day, my thirst still hadn't become unmanageable but we were concerned that something may change so I kept on top of it.

As time flew by, concentration became easier. I found myself able to focus on one thing when I really tried, my mind was reined in when I wanted it to. I pushed myself to the boundaries as I tested my strengths, there had been no sign of a gift, and I was almost thankful, there would be no reason for the Volturi to want me, I was almost amused by the thought of Aro's disappointment.

Edward had been weary, he was sure my gift was there, he would tell me I was too 'exceptional' as a human to not have one. I didn't mind not having one, but he was convinced it would pop up if I tried.

Time rediscovering Edward seemed to pass too quickly, but we always had the nights alone, the family generally retreated to their own rooms and the couples would spend time alone. We were falling into an easy pattern. We still hadn't tried making love again since the night I was changed, something always seemed to come up, as soon as we would settle down there would be an interruption of some kind, it was getting frustrating to say the least and I was considering desperate measures. I craved the touch and the feel of Edward as we molded into one, it had been the most amazing sensation as a human, but as a vampire, with all of my senses heightened, I was eager to try it.

Things began getting back to a routine, with the one exception.

It was the day we were due back from our honeymoon that I began to panic. Three weeks had passed, and I knew that Charlie and Renee were expecting me home. I had obviously missed calling them before I left, because I was writhing in pain on our bed.

I knew that they would notice the difference in my voice, and I was afraid that they would expect a visit. The plan had always been one last goodbye before we left for Dartmouth. I was planning to be changed when we moved away. I didn't know how to proceed. I still hadn't been around a human since I had been changed and had no idea how I would react. The stories from the family members experiences still clouded my mind. It didn't matter that I had more control over myself than most newborns, that could easily go out the window with the challenge of human blood.

it wouldn't be long until Charlie started calling, and if I was able to dodge those calls it would only be a matter of time until the cruiser rolled up to the house. Charlie wasn't stupid, he would suspect something if I didn't make some sort of appearance. I had been sending him regular emails, and we'd even gone to the extent of sending photo's of scenery that we'd stolen from stock photography websites. Of course, Jasper, being the genius he was on the computer, took older photo's of Edward and I and manipulated them onto the scene beautifully. Occasionally superimposing our heads onto models bodies. I wasn't sure whether charlie would notice, the effect was very realistic.

Renee was always ecstatic about the photographs, of course she'd noticed the slight change in my body and put it down to marriage agreeing with me. I'd hoped the lies could stop but I knew differently, I'd always known. I had to stay away and keep myself hidden until I outlived them. The thought made me shudder, but there really was no other way around it, I would be sending emails and maybe, if I could play off the change in my voice, a couple of phone calls.

There had only been two options available to me, and this was the one I could live with for now, the other, faking my own death, was too difficult to think about at the moment. My death would be so painful to them, especially now, while I was so young and newly married. If I had to, I would use the alternative route, but only if it was my last resort.

"Bella, it'll be fine, really." Alice sang as she lithely dropped onto the couch next to me. "You still have your worry gene in place, I see."

"Alice," Edward warned, but there was no hint of anger in his voice.

"I know, I'm sorry." she sighed. "Just get it over with, you'll find it easy enough to make up an excuse."

"Charlie's not stupid, Alice. You know how intuitive he can be when he puts his effort into it." I sighed.

"Well whatever you do, can you make a decision, this flip flopping around in your head is distracting."

I had to call him, it was probably a decision made out of selfishness rather than necessity, but I _was_ going to call him. I missed his voice and his stories. I was sure he knew about Jacob's return and he'd be happy to let me know about that. I wanted to make sure he was eating well. That he was happy.

Alice considered my decision and grinned. "It'll be fine. Now you've made the decision, I see the outcome. You had nothing to worry about it seems."

I fished in the pocket of the only sweats Alice allowed me to own, and pulled out my small silver cell phone. I'd had it long enough that Charlie knew the number. I took a deep breath and dialed the number to Charlie's house, thanks to Alice, I knew he'd be home.

The phone rang twice before he picked it up. I heard the excitement in his breathing, it was amazing how much I could pick up over the phone.

"Bells?"

"Hi, Dad."

"Hey, kiddo. You sound funny, you alright?"

"Never better." That was the truth, I was stronger and healthier than I'd ever been, except for the fact my heart no longer beat.

"Ah, three weeks with the Cullens and you're starting to sound like them." he chuckled lightly.

I looked to Edward who was stifling a laugh, I knew the feeling, this was almost too easy.

"I guess that would be it." I answered with a short musical giggle. "When in Rome."

"So, how was Hawaii?"

"Beautiful. you wouldn't believe how clear the water was. Edward and I went scuba diving, and I almost attempted para-sailing, but I chickened out at the last moment. The sunsets were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. You'd love it there."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. How'd Edward like it."

"He had a blast, he went rock climbing, I would've tried that but you know my coordination, I would've fallen from halfway up and spent the rest of my honeymoon in a cast." I giggled.

Charlie chuckled along with me, it was a homey sound that brought back the last two years of living with him, it also brought back the pain, I missed him terribly.

"How have you been, dad? You been eating well?"

Charlie grumbled into the phone and it brought a smile to my lips, Charlie hated talking about himself, and my concern for him always made him grumble because he liked to think of himself as the adult.

"C'mon dad, it's been three weeks since we've spoken. I would think you'd have something to tell me."

"Jacob's home, came home about a week after you left. Billy was happy, Sam and Emily have finally set a date now he's back . . ."

"Dad," I interrupted him, " I'm asking about you, is there anything new with you?"

"I bought a new microwave." he mumbled.

"What was wrong with the old one?" I asked wearily. I had an inkling of what happened.

"I forgot to take the foil off the plate, it didn't do too much damage, but had to be replaced."

Alice and Edward were in fits of laughter on either side of me.

"Were you hurt?"

"No I was in the front room watching the game."

"Dad, you really have to be more careful."

There was another inaudible grumbling.

"So Bells, when are you coming to see me?"

I swallowed the air around me with difficulty, I knew this was the question I had been dreading, I didn't know how to let him down without hurting his feelings, the college excuse would make it so much easier, I could blame a fictional job, or term papers, even professors if it was necessary, but knowing I was only a few miles away from him, and could easily make the trip if it was necessary made the lie all the more difficult to spit out.

"Well, Dad. I'm afraid we'll be leaving earlier than I thought. I hadn't realized that the Cullen's were visiting their cousin's in Denali for the end of the Summer and they're expecting us there. I wish I had known sooner so I could have spent some time with you. I hate that I can't say goodbye."

Silence filled the air on the phone, it was like a lead weight pulling me into a pit of fresh pain, I knew this would hurt him, I hoped he wouldn't see this as me blowing him off, in all honesty I would have loved to have spent more time with him, but not knowing how I reacted to humans, I refused to take that chance. Charlie was far to important to me to gamble with his life like that.

"Well, I guess I'll still see you at Thanksgiving, it's not so long to wait." My breath came pouring from me, I hadn't realized I'd been holding it until he answered.

"No, not long at all. I miss you terribly, Dad."

"I miss you too, Bells."

"I love you."

"Love you too, kiddo."

"I'll call you soon."

"Okay, bye Bells."

"Bye, Dad."

I slapped the phone shut and let my head fall onto Edward's shoulder, the pain danced through me stamping on the happiness I had found in my time as a vampire. I always knew it would be hard, and I promised myself that I wouldn't allow it to pull me under, but it was still too much, it was stronger than my will to fight it.

Edward stroked my hair gently, his touch, so filled with love, slackened the hold of the pain. I could never imagine existence without him, it wouldn't be worth it. I held onto that with both hands and pulled myself above the waves of self pity.

"Oh, Denali." Alice laughed, "Maybe we can make it less of a lie and head towards that direction."

"It'll be a nice change of scenery." Whispered Edward, his head was resting on the top of mine.

I didn't know. Even as a vampire, I was worried about the beautiful strawberry blond that had an eye on my husband. At the wedding, I saw how she watched him, her eyes never leaving him as he elegantly spun me around the room. I didn't know how to claim him anymore than marrying him. I knew the stupidity of my insecurities, I could pick them apart as much as I wanted to, it wouldn't stop me from feeling that way. Tanya was a beautiful confident vampire. I was me. I was growing more confident with who I was now, but my humanity had only been taken from me three weeks ago, the stubborn vulnerabilities were grasping to my subconscious. I knew they would fade with time, but I still hadn't had long enough to deal with them to meet Tanya.

"Bella, really, you have nothing to be self conscious about." Jasper soothed as he entered the room. "The bond you and Edward have is stronger than that. Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

I grinned at Jasper and he shot me a dose of confidence, he talent was even more of an experience as a vampire, I could feel the emotion filling me, always hyper aware that it came from an external source, but it still wasn't easy to fight off, this time I welcomed it and followed it as it washed over me. I enjoyed the confidence boost, it made it so much easier to enjoy my new body. Jasper and I had a stronger friendship now I was no longer a temptation to him. it was common to find the four of us together. Emmett and Rosalie would join us when they felt the urge as did Carlisle and Esme. Although Esme was spending most of her time packing nowadays.

"Really, Bella. You shouldn't dwell on that, it was such a long time ago, long forgotten. I can't believe your even thinking about it." Alice scolded me.

"Well, I really can't help it, Alice. It's like a seed that's been planted in the back of my mind, it grows there without my knowledge, that is until the name Denali or Tanya, or Strawberry blond pops up!" I pouted, dang it, the confidence made me snappy.

Edward chuckled and buried his head into my neck.

"I thought we cleared this up, Bella. I prefer brunettes. I prefer you. You are the only thing I see."

"It's not _you_ I'm worried about."

Crap, crap, CRAP! Why did the confidence always tangle itself with honesty. I hated saying things like this, it made it so much more difficult. The Cullen's and Denali's had been family longer than I had existed as a human or otherwise. I had to get a hold of myself.

"Fine!" I sighed.

Edward planted a kiss on my neck that sent waves through my entire being, I definitely felt better now. Tanya who?

"I'll go see if everyone else is up for it." Alice sang as she disappeared from my side.

So, that was it. We were going to head to Denali and spend some time with our 'cousins'. Carlisle, who had put in his formal resignation a month ago, asked to move forward his official exit from the hospital. So he was now free to accompany us to Alaska. Esme was thrilled, she enjoyed the company of the other women, and the hunting opportunities were a lot broader in the Denali area than it was in Forks. There was also plenty of open space.

Moving was just going to have to wait until we returned.

I was the only one that wasn't looking forward to the trip, I was excited to see the landscape that Edward had been describing since our decision to go, I was even excited to see Carmen and Eleazar again, I had enjoyed their company when they had attended the wedding. I just wasn't excited about the Succubus sisters.

Kate was possibly the nicest of the three, she was like another Alice, except her addiction was men rather than shopping, she wasn't shy about her nature or her conquests. I had helped Mike escape narrowly. He didn't exactly thank me, but I hadn't known what to expect if I'd have let that one slide. According to Edward, Mike had thought it was jealousy at the time.

I still hadn't met Irina, she hadn't attended the wedding. She had still been upset at the loss of Laurent. Then there was Tanya. Her politeness and acceptance had been welcoming, I had appreciated every kind word she'd spared me, but her beauty and confidence intimidated me. The way she gazed at Edward when she thought no one was looking had been enough to bring out my protective nature. I'd clung to Edward every minute she'd been around and caused the panic to rise in me when our forced separation had been enforced by Alice before the wedding.

This had all happened when I'd been human, I hated to think how I would react now, as a vampire, with my instincts in full swing. I would have to keep Jasper close to keep me calm. It wasn't something I was pleased about but it was a necessity until I knew how I would react. I would hate to do something I would regret later.

We drove to Alaska, another necessity due to my lack of experimentation with humans. I knew I would have to try at some point but the thought of it scared me to death. I hated that I was capable of instinctually killing someone, I knew I would never do it consciously, but if my instinctual drive was strong enough, it could push me to take a life and not even realize it until it was too late.

Edward wasn't convinced of this, everything I had done so far was so much more controlled than a newborn should be, Carlisle and Edward had insisted that I hunt every other day so I didn't tempt fate, but I was willing to experiment. Some of the Cullens' could go weeks without needing to hunt. I knew that if I was given the opportunity to push myself, I could get to the same level. Unfortunately, Edward wanted some of my newborn strength to wear off before I tried. He didn't want any accidents to happen.

Edward and I took my after car a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano Coupe. Alice, ecstatically happy about her opportunity, followed us with Jasper in the Porsche. This was possibly one of the longest drives she'd taken in her beloved car. Rosalie and Emmett were in the M3 ahead of us and Carlisle and Esme were leading in the Mercedes.

We never slowed down, watching the speedometer we kept the pace of one-hundred forty miles per hour all the way there and stopped four times for gas. A three day drive took us less than twenty hours.

The speed no longer frightened me, it was easy to see why the Cullens enjoyed driving so fast. When you could see everything ahead, and your reactions were almost quadruple that of a humans, the really was nothing to worry about.

Edward had smirked the first half of the drive, I knew why so I never asked. The scenery flew by the windows and I was glad that my eyes still worked regardless of the speed. I was able to take in every beauty that flashed by us, I also committed it to my photographic memory so I could revisit it whenever I wanted.

The ride was in relative silence, but so much was said with our small amount of contact there was really no need for words. When we did speak it flowed easily. I could happily listen to Edward speak for an eternity, the multiple layers of his voice were fascinating to me. Almost hypnotic as he pointed out the points of interest. I hoped we could take our time on the way home and maybe stop at some of natures more beautiful works of art.

Alaska was breathtaking, everything was spread out wide and looked fresher than even the forests in Forks. It was indescribable even in the setting sun.

It was dark when we arrived in Denali, as with most Vampire homes the long extended driveway was hidden with the earths natural growth. It was a clever way to be undisturbed, I'd once asked Edward about mail and he gave me a answer I should have already known, a Post Office Box. It was so obvious I missed it.

The drive was on a curve and although I trusted Edward's driving implicitly my dead heart almost ended up in my throat when we kept our speed and shot straight off the curve. It was obvious once we reached the other side of the light shrubbery. Edward chuckled lightly at me.

"Sorry, I should have warned you, I forget how that is the first time around."

I let out the breath I was holding in my lungs. "Yeah, a warning woulda been nice."

The path, the couldn't really be called a road, led through the trees and extended a lot further than that of the Cullens. My mental estimation was about fifteen miles, I had driven to La Push enough to know the similarities, regardless of the speed we were executing.

"How do they get power this far out?" I asked. I knew Vampires could be inventive, and I knew that the Denali's wealth was as excessive as the Cullens, Alice was very helpful when it came to that.

"Solar Panels, it gets pretty bright out here with the sun reflecting off the snow."

"Phones?"

"The have their own tower on the mountain, it's hidden amongst the trees. It also allows them internet access. Their water comes from a natural source that runs from the mountain, they have a purifier, but the water is so clean it's really not necessary. They have a small septic system for shower water, and any human guests that happen to stop by."

I knew humans frequented this house because of Kate's habit.

We pulled up to the house as the moon fought it's way through the clouds. The blue light painted the house and I had to admit the Denali's had taste. I would never have suspected that a house with this much grandeur could be tucked so neatly into the side of a mountain. The general look was that of a log cabin, but the sheer magnitude of it was awe inspiring, I didn't realize that a house could be built in such a fashion. The feel continued on to a warm stony front, the stones were multihued and were almost ornate in their shapes.

The garage was made of the same stone and almost overshadow the Cullen's. I imagine I knew why. Guests could hardly leave their cars out in the snow, and I would put money on the fact that they had other vehicles that would work their way through a heavy snowfall stashed in the cavernous building.

"Wow." I breathed letting my eyes drink in the setting that surrounded the house. If I wasn't seeing it with my own two eyes I would never believe that such beauty existed.

"Yes, it was built when we lived together as one coven. We all have a little piece of ourselves invested in this house." Edward said proudly.

Two of the eight double garage doors opened simultaneously basking the snow with the warm orange light that spilled out from the light in the garage. I could see that the Denali's taste in cars was similar to that of my family. They ranged from heavy SUV's to small and ferocious looking sports cars.

As I had suspected there were ATV's, snow-cats and a snow plow stored inside. I half expected a dog sled at this point. I chuckled as the image of Jacob and his brothers pulling the sled popped into my mind. It wasn't a derogatory thought at all, more entertaining.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked, his eyes lighting up at the lightening of my mood.

"Oh, I made a bet with myself and when I realized I was right a funny thought popped into my mind."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Well, I imagined they would have ATV's and such and I almost expected a dog sled, then the image of the La Push pack pulling a sled made it's way into my mind."

Edward laughed more heartily than I had seem him do in a while. I laughed with him the image still playing in my mind. I thought that even Jacob would get a kick out of that image.

We pulled the cars to a stop in the garage, and there, looking just as beautiful as ever, was Tanya.

She smiled as we climbed out of the cars. There wasn't much discomfort sitting for long periods of time, but standing straight still felt wonderful. I felt like I could take a long run in the woods.

"What was so funny, Edward?" called Emmett, as he climbed out of the car.

"Bella, she was looking for the dog sled so she could attach Jake and his friends."

Emmett's guffaw of a laugh filled the garage, an example followed by everyone else within earshot. I knew that Edward had made the comment sound more vindictive than I had, but it was forgivable. I had caused a large divide between the two of them because of my actions. They at least had that in common, their hate for one another and their love for me.

"Welcome, it's been too long since we were all here together." Tanya sang as she walked further into the garage and embraced Esme. "And Bella, first timer, you look stunning. Vampirism agrees with you." She spread her arms and waited for an embrace, I complied willingly, I would keep on her good side.

"Thanks for having us." I said in a polite tone. "Your house is beautiful."

"Thank you, Bella. Why don't we get you inside, I know Irina is excited to meet you."

I turned my head to look at Edward, and he smiled and nodded. I looped my arm with Alice's as we passed her, her eyes widened and she dropped the bag she was carrying. I tried to decide something so that she would understand, it was my only form of communication. So I decided that she would be my protector on the tour. She rolled her eyes, but she got the message.

The house was as exquisite inside as out. A tall roaring, circular fireplace filled the center of the room, the floor was sunken around it and Crescent shaped couches lined the walls of it. Three large three story windows lined the wall that opened up to the view of the valley. The view was spectacular because of a small clearing that was made for the view.

Looking up I noticed that there were balconies on both floors, they faced the large windows. I was sure the bedroom were stemmed off from these. The stairs were tucked neatly to one side of the room, almost hidden by a dividing wall.

"It's beautiful." I sighed letting my clear eyes soak up the scene surrounding me.

"It's very comfortable, and the view is unmatched. We have bought as much of the land around us as we could so we would be undisturbed."

"It doesn't keep those land developers away." sighed a voice from the second floor balcony.

Tanya sighed dramatically. "Kate, you should never have brought him here then."

Kate hissed and then a door closed quietly.

"Kate brought home a gentleman who has been trying to convince us to sell the house and land to him. He found the house so breathtaking that he wanted to make it into a ski resort. Could you imagine that? Talk about destroying the landscape."

"How often do they come?" I asked, suddenly aware that humans frequented the house.

"It was once a week for a while, but now it's a mere once a month. I am almost hoping they try again while you're here, maybe more than one male will get the point across."

I looked at Alice, her eyes gave me a knowing look, yes, they would be back while we were here. "Indeed." she mumbled.

"Well, it seems Irina stepped out, we'll have to introduce you later. Please, feel free to explore. Alice, could you show Bella Edward's room?"

"You mean _their_ room?" Alice asked giving me an inconspicuous wink.

"Of course. I'm going to help the others bring in the luggage."

We watched Tanya stroll away, her regal steps not leaving a sound as she breezed through the room.

"Come on, we're on the third floor," Alice sighed pulling me along gently by my arm.

To my surprise, Kate met us at the top of the stairs on the second floor. Her wide topaz eyes shining with excitement as her long blond hair fell elegantly over her shoulder. She grinned merrily at me as I crested the stairs.

"Bella, it's so good to see you again. You look positively glorious."

"Thanks, Kate." I smiled, and she pulled me into an embrace. her smell was slightly different to that of the Cullen's, but also so similar.

"I'm so glad you're all here. It's been positively boring now that the tourist season is over. "

"I can't imagine this place ever being boring." I sighed looking out the window again. The view was even more spectacular from this height. The only obstruction was the tubular fireplace, but it's design was anything but an eyesore.

Kate giggled lightly. "I forgot, first timer. You'll love exploring, Bella. You'll have to make sure Edward takes you Susitna River and Butte Lake, there are some wonderful spots around there. Good Hunting too."

I nodded still scanning the view with my sharp eyes, Alice tugged on my arm and pulled me up the next set of stairs, Kate followed silently.

Alice pointed out who's room was who's as we passed them, Edward and I were the last door.

"This is your room." Alice smiled as she pushed the door open. Kate was immediately at my side, I think she wanted to share the reaction with us.

The room was larger than I had expected. The awkward arrangement told me that the large, soft looking bed was a new addition. There was a similarity to Edward's room in Forks, there was a CD collection, though not so vast as the one that almost filled a wall in his room at home. A large stereo was slotted in neatly next to the stacks of CD's. There was a leather sofa, slightly smaller than the one at home, and it was pushed up against the wall. The bed was on the wall of the door, and in the center of the room was a baby grand, shiny and black.

"What do you think?" Alice asked as she stepped in and sank into the large bed.

"It's lovely, I strangely feel at home here." I giggled.

I made may way over to the piano and began tinkering on the keys, did a photographic memory make it easier to play? I was hoping Edward may take the opportunity to teach me while we were here. I looked around the room again and smiled. At least it _felt_ like home.

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**A/N: (After Car Pic on my Profile Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano Coupe . . . Drool-Worthy!) A little slower than most chapters but somehow it managed to be longer? Not sure how that works but still!! let me know what you think, please. **

**Thank you for the Alerts and Faves those are always awesome. And Thank You TO THE REVIEWERS . . . YOU GUYS ARE SERIOUSLY THE COOLEST PEOPLE AROUND, YOU ROCK!**

**BIG HUGS - L -**


	7. Chapter 7

_**All things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

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**Chapter 8 - Denali**

Our first couple of days after we'd arrived in Denali weren't spent in the house, Edward had wanted to show me so much, so we'd spent a majority of our time running through the thick forests. It was so peaceful and quiet and I'd known that there couldn't be a human around for miles. I couldn't image anyone venturing this far off the path. The thick forest were the perfect cover for us, even when the bright sun hit the snow, the canopy of leaves prevented the the rays and reflections that would cause our skin to shimmer like a diamond.

Kate had been right, there was a vast amount of hunting opportunities here. The caribou and moose roamed freely and were plentiful as they grazed amongst the trees. We even saw a couple of grizzlies down by the river fishing. Everything was so much more beautiful than I had imagined, even Edward's apt description hadn't done it justice.

I watched the bears cumbersome movements as the hopped through the running water. the were amazingly agile for their size. This excited me, I wanted to see Emmett and Edward in action. I knew there were no mountain lions here, but I was guessing there was as much enjoyment in a grizzly as there was in a lion.

"I'm curious." I said breaking the silence we had been keeping as we drank in our surroundings.

We had stopped in a clearing on the mountain when I finally built up the courage to ask about Edward, Emmett and the bears. I looked over the river that flowed at the bottom, there was grizzly stomping around in the water, obviously frustrated at his lack of success. I let my words settle between us as I watched. I knew he wanted me to continue the statement.

"About?" Edward finally asked, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. The touch sent a jolt of electricity through me, I couldn't get enough of the feeling that ran through me when we were close like this.

"Well, do you remember that conversation we had when I finally discovered what you were."

"We had a lot conversations after that." he chuckled. "Is there one in particular?"

"Yes, it was about hunting." I nodded at the grizzly at the river.

A large smile spread across Edward's face as he wrapped his arm around my waist. He knew what I was referring to.

"Does this include Emmett?" he asked. His lips brushing my cheeks lightly, distracting my train of thought.

"Mmm Hmm." I hummed, unable to form words because of his close proximity.

"I think that can be arranged." he said. His fingers brushed my chin, as he directed my face to meet his. I let him guide me.

As soon as our eyes met, a jolt of emotion took over me and my lips crashed onto his with such ferocity my instincts took over, I would never have believed how much I'd missed out on while I was human, the strength and conviction behind his kisses were filled with so much passion and hunger now it sent my mind spiraling out of control.

There was more passion that I could have ever imagined, it ran through me like a bolt of lightning. my body arched and twisted to get closer to his. I was hungry for him, it had been too long since we'd been alone like this.

My body moved without command and I found myself straddling his legs as our kiss deepened. His arms, still around my waist, pulled me closer to him. I was crushed against his body in the most intimate way possible. We were melting into one another. Our breaths became one as we deepened our touches.

Yes, I had missed out on so much as a human, the movements of this deity were so filled with heat and longing now, his touch, so intimate, I couldn't get enough, it was like a hunger that could never be satisfied.

One of his hands moved up to cup my face as a new level of passion waved through us. My hips ground gently causing a friction between us, I moaned gently into his mouth as the euphoric feeling coursed through me. Everything about this sent a pleasant fire through me, pushing my senses to the brink of explosion. The new sensitivity heightened every touch and every yearning, there were so many more levels to this experience now.

The waves of lust crashed over me as my hands ran down his chest, I was heading towards my goal. I wanted him so badly it ached, I felt the yearning as it contracted and released the muscles of my most intimate center. It was a need only he could fill, we hadn't had much time alone since my transformation and this moment, although far from perfect in location, felt right, natural, unavoidable.

Edward's groan of pleasure sent a frenzy through me, I was eager to please, I needed that, it was a driving force in me now. His lips coasted gently to my neck as my head fell back loosely on my shoulders, my back arched towards him, it felt so natural, his hand fit perfectly in the nape of my neck, supporting my head as he hungrily kissed, licked and sucked on my exposed skin.

My hands continued down to his waist, gently shifting the fabric of his sweater to expose his belt. His lips moved to the skin below my ears sending another wave of excitement through me, a gentle sigh of a moan escaped my lips and I surreptitiously removed his belt.

His lips parted from my skin as he felt the leather shift. He moaned my name creating more spasms of ecstasy to run through me. This perfect creature was calling my name is this most intimate moment and it awoke something in me, I could no longer keep my movements slow, the need for him was too great, it was as though I would cease to exist without this most animalistic need.

"I want you." his whisper sent a breath of air across me, causing my body to throb, the feeling started between my legs and spread through me like a wild fire.

I unbuttoned his pants quickly, but I needed his lips on mine, I was hungry for his taste. One of my hands hand wound around his neck and my lips met his again. We crashed together, need pushing us on. My hand continued to the zipper while the other cupped the back of his neck.

Edward growled lightly, and froze.

"What?" My strangled whisper escaped my lips, filled with every emotion I was feeling. My breath came in small pants, created by the excitement that ran through me.

Then I felt the presence. There was someone close by.

"Sorry," The soft angelic voice pulled my attention towards the west. There, not looking the least bit remorseful, was Tanya. I swallowed my urge to verbalize the string of profanities that ran through my mind. A scream of frustration was building through me as the fire of my passion refused to simmer. The throbbing of the ache I had began to become painful, I needed the release.

Tanya's sweet smile made her intentions very obvious, she'd wanted to break up this little two person party. I didn't need to read minds to know that. Edward's head fell gently to my shoulder as he caught his breath, I could feel anger run through him in a form of a shudder. I fought to keep my anger reined in, there was no point in antagonizing the situation further. The damage was already done.

"Really, I didn't mean to intrude, I just wanted to hunt with you." Tanya feigned her chagrin and looked towards Edward, his face still buried between my neck and shoulder. I tried to stop myself from rolling my eyes, I could see right through her little charade, and as much as I wanted to ask Edward what she was thinking, there was no way to ask, she was close enough to hear any exchange between us.

Our breathing was still haggard as we tried to collect ourselves. My body was still craving his touch but I had to try and push the sensation back and dull it, there was absolutely nothing I could do to satiate the urge now, Tanya obviously wasn't leaving. I could still feel Edward's excitement on the inside of my thigh, I couldn't move. What a situation to be in.

"Tanya," Edward said, his velvet voice layered with texture. "Can you give us a minute please?"

"Oh. Right, sorry." This was the first honest moment Tanya had shared since walking up on us. she seemed genuinely embarrassed about her ogling it seemed.

Tanya rocked on her heels and looked for somewhere to disappear, I was sure she would still be in hearing range, she'd want to know our reaction. I watched her disappear through the trees. As soon as she was out of eyesight my body fell limp against Edward's chest.

"She did that purposely." I whispered. Edward's head was still on my shoulder so I knew he'd heard me. "Do I even want to know what she was thinking?"

Edward sighed and lifted his head. His golden eyes were still full of the passion we'd been sharing. They looked like pools of molten gold as they moved with his emotion.

"She kept her mind hidden from me, which makes me agree with your assessment, she purposely interrupted us."

"Hiding her mind?"

"She was over-thinking her embarrassment, she knows I can hear her thoughts, but she would slip up."

"Why though, why did she want to intrude on us like that?"

Edward raised his eyebrows.

"I guess I wasn't so far off base after all." I said, rocking back to sit on Edward's thighs.

"It appears not. I'm sorry, Bella. I never considered she would still be interested."

I sighed. "Do you still consider the way I regard you absurd?"

Edward laughed and kissed my neck.

"I promise, we will finish this. I refuse to be interrupted again."

I grinned at him. Since I had been transformed into an immortal, we had been waiting for a perfect opportunity to consummate our marriage completely, but, time, location and circumstance had been against us. The build up was becoming unbearable. Each time we tried, we'd been interrupted, but there had been no interruptions that were intentional until now.

"This is so frustrating." I growled, laying my head on his chest.

He smoothed my hair down my back and kissed the top of my head gently. I knew he felt the same, he'd didn't have to say it out loud.

Tanya was still waiting for us so we had no choice but to move now. Edward lifted me from his legs and stood up, setting me on my feet. Rearranging his clothes to conceal his slowly receding excitement, he picked up my hand and headed towards where Tanya was waiting.

The hunting trip didn't take long, neither Edward or I were in the mood to linger, especially with Tanya tagging along. My anger and frustration had dulled with my thirst, but Edward was still angry. He hadn't expected Tanya's continued affection towards him. I had always known in the back of my mind that there was still an interest. Vampires have long memories, and as easy as it was to compartmentalize emotions, they were always there, just like memories.

As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn't blame her, Edward was one of the most amazing men in existence, it was only natural that others would be attracted to him. Unfortunately, it wouldn't stop my jealousy from rearing it's ugly head. I trusted Edward implicitly, but I couldn't, and wouldn't, allow myself to trust Tanya. I doubted she'd ever been denied anything. This made me wonder about the lengths she would go to in order to get what she wanted. These thoughts plagued me as we traveled back towards the house.

Alice was outside waiting for us when we finally approached, her large amber eyes scanned the three of us.

"Alice?" Edward asked as we stopped in front of her. "Who?"

"It's no big deal, just a drifter." she sang, her eyes raking over the clothes I had managed to pick for myself this morning.

"Then why are you out here?" Edward asked, but his eyes closed almost instantaneously as Alice thought through her reasoning.

"What?" I snapped. Not knowing was getting frustrating and the back and forth between Edward and Alice's mind was testing my already worn patience. I was hitting my limit for the day.

"Bella, you and I are going to your closet. I can't allow your vampiric debut while you're dressed like that."

Tanya snickered beside me, but Alice shot her a death glare. She hadn't intended it to be an insult. Tanya stopped immediately and excused herself.

"Sorry, Bella. I wasn't thinking." Alice apologized, her eyes still following Tanya. "I also didn't know what was going to happen when she left to meet you. You hadn't made _that_ decision until long after she left, I had no time to stop her."

I closed my eyes trying to hold in the laugh that was brewing, Alice had a way of apologizing that made me forgive her instantaneously. Her humor was beyond me. I never seemed to feel the embarrassment of the situation around her, we were to close to let something like that bother us. Edward rolled his eyes.

"Who is this drifter?" Edward asked, moving closer to me.

"Just someone passing through, he caught our scent as he crossed over the southern ridge. He came in for a closer look, I saw him and alerted everyone. Carlisle and Eleazar met him about five miles out and brought him in."

Edward nodded and visibly relaxed. It was evident that he trusted Carlisle's opinion. He nodded at Alice, obviously another silent question that I would never hear.

"So, Bella. Why don't we go change, and Edward can meet our new friend?" Alice suggested, hope covering every inch of her beautiful face.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, but make it snappy."

I knew that Edward would be more relaxed if he could check out the situation before bringing me into it. I'd known him long enough to realize that. It would never matter whether I was a human or a vampire, he would always feel the need to protect me.

Alice took my hand and dragged me away before I had a chance to give Edward a parting kiss. I smiled at him and blew him a kiss as Alice flew towards the house with me in tow.

We made it to mine and Edward's bedroom without seeing anyone, I wasn't sure where the occupants of the house were hiding but I was sure they were near, the scent of our guest was strong in the large living room, and relatively new, as were Carlisle and the others. Their scent disappeared towards where the garage was situated. Alice was moving too quickly for me to pick up anything more. We made it up the three flights of stairs in seconds.

Alice flew through our door and pushed me on the bed as she rummaged through our closet. I watched her work.

"Bella, have I taught you nothing?" she sighed exasperated. "You packed all of your casual clothes."

"I wasn't expecting company." I shrugged.

Alice rolled her eyes and darted from the room without another word. I fell back into the bed and stared at the pale ceiling. I could feel the soft bed adjusting under me to mold itself around me, it was a comforting feeling because it reminded me of our large ornate bed at home. One that I had slept in as a human, the one I had made love to Edward in, the bed I was changed in.

I shook off the memory, and shuddered as I remember the pain with perfect clarity.

"Okay, I have narrowed it down to three choices." Alice sang as she breezed into the room. I should have known she would have packed some things for me. I propped myself up on my elbows to view my options.

"Alice, are you insane?" I asked laughing. "I know we don't feel the cold, but a dress?"

Alice sighed and threw the dress, that had matching heels and a cashmere wrap, onto the couch. She held up the last of the options. Both options were still entirely too over-the-top for the middle of nowhere, but a lot more acceptable. I agreed to a figure hugging sweater and designer jeans, which of course came with matching heels.

"Not my first choice, but you'll still look great, Edward loves that color blue on you."

"Does it still have the same effect?" I asked pulling the sweater over my head and arranging it so it was straight.

"It does. You were light skinned to begin with."

I laughed and looked in the mirror. The sweater emphasized ever curve in my body. It made me a little uncomfortable to think about, but as soon as I was away from a mirror my insecurities fell away. It wasn't that I didn't like the way it looked, I loved that my body was more defined. It was my stubborn human insecurities that were the problem, I still couldn't see the beautiful creature in the mirror as me.

"You look gorgeous." Alice sighed and began playing with my hair. "I was going to put it up, but it's so pretty, I think it'll look better down, don't you think?"

"Whichever, I trust you." I smiled.

Alice rolled her eyes but ran her fingers through my hair quickly, my hair fell over my shoulders looking rich and warm with the slight natural curl that it had kept. I would have to learn her secret, I could never get my hair to cooperate the way Alice did.

"Okay, you're ready to go."

"Thanks, Alice. I will have to pay attention one day, you have a talent with this kind of thing." I said fluffing my hair once more for good measure. I didn't really buy into the whole beauty and fashion world but I had to give credit where credit was due. The girl had a gift.

Alice beamed at me and looped her arm through mine guiding me out of the room.

The family and guest were gathered in the game room that was nestled neatly above the garage. The furniture and atmosphere was a little less formal here and there were plentiful activities, Edward and Emmett were playing a video game on the large screened television, both goading one another as they gained an advantage. I stood behind the couch silently as Alice danced away to greet Jasper.

"Winner plays Bella." laughed Emmett as he rammed his car into Edward's.

"You're on." chuckled Edward as he hit Emmett car with such precision it span out of control.

Emmett corrected himself quickly and followed Edward through the computer generated city. Edward dodged the other cars that drove at regular pace with ease. Their concentration was fascinating to me, their eyes darted around the screen as their hands pressed the button and maneuvered the small joysticks with no thought at all.

Edward coasted over the finish line and slid to a stop facing the oncoming traffic, he was waiting for Emmett who was a tenth of a second behind him. Emmett laughed as he plowed his car head on into Edward's.

"At least I finished with Finesse." he laughed. Handing me the remote.

Before I could take it from his hand, Edward pulled me onto his lap.

"How about you meet our guest first, Love?" he whispered kissing my neck. That burning gold was behind his eyes again and I could feel my stomach tighten.

He stood up and set me on my feet in front of him, he was in a playful mood now that there was evidently no danger. I liked him like this, and I had vowed to myself that we would grow old this way. Laughing and playing. It made me happy to see him relaxed.

Alice jumped in his spot and stole the game controller he'd put down on the couch next to him. I hadn't seen her coming from across the room, and Jasper was stood looking stunned as his wife grinned at him. It seemed everyone was a little more relaxed than usual.

Edward and I walked hand in hand toward where Tanya, Kate and Esme were talking to our guest.

"Soren," Edward said quietly.

The guest turned to face us, his handsome face was filled with curiosity as he looked at me. I was taken aback by his features, each were so pronounced, but there was an angelic glow about him. I immediately felt comfortable around him.

"Soren, this is my wife, Bella. Bella, this is Soren."

"Good to meet you." I said offering him my hand. I knew there was a timid smile in place I could feel the muscles as they formed it. I stepped back and wrapped my arms around Edward's waist and leaned my head against his chest. There was a slight tingling in my head that was distracting me, but I pushed it to the side and tried to ignore it.

Soren was watching me carefully, his eyes were wide as they ran across my face. It was almost as though he were looking for something. I waited patiently wondering was what was distracting him. Although, his smile was held in place all the while.

"Interesting." Soren laughed. "I hope you don't mind that I tried, Edward."

Edward laughed and kissed the top of my head. "No, it's fine. I told you."

I looked up at Edward and back at Soren.

"Soren has a gift." Edward chuckled tightening his arm around my waist. "One I'm glad doesn't work on you, Love."

"I can create an atmosphere of love between two people and manipulate it, but I access it through the mind. I plant a seed and watch it blossom." Soren grinned raising his eyebrows.

"That sounds dangerous." I commented, pulling Edward a little tighter against me.

"Ah, yes it is, it can also be very helpful and advantageous in the right situations. There are, unfortunately, limitations though."

"You say unfortunate Soren, but I'm sure those you enchant aren't so negative about the limitations." laughed Edward.

Soren nodded his head in agreement and smiled at me. I knew I must look a little confused.

"You see Bella, the illusion only works if I am within a mile of the person being bewitched."

"A mile?"

"Yes, I tested it once, if I step out of the boundaries the illusion is broken, but only while I am out of that perimeter."

"So the illusion will stay as long as you will it to or are within a mile?"

"Exactly."

I raised my eyebrows and looked up at Edward. My mind was whirring with activity as I went into conspiracy overload.

"Forgive me if I'm being rude, Soren." Rosalie said stepping towards me. "But how exactly is that advantageous to you?"

"That's a good question, Rosalie. You see, people do strange things for love, even a mere illusion of it. It's a powerful thing. I don't like to use it in that context, but on the occasions that I needed it, it has proven to be a most helpful asset. It can also diffuse dangerous situations rather effectively."

"Can you create the opposite emotion?" asked Kate, she stepped forward and grinned.

"Unfortunately, I haven't as of yet, but I continue to try."

That would be even more dangerous, I considered as Kate and Rosalie threw insignificant questions at him.

"So," Kate asked, a large mischievous grin on her face, "If I asked you to make me attracted to Rosalie, could you do it?"

Soren laughed heartily and nodded. "Would you like a demonstration, Kate?"

Kate looked to Rosalie, "Are you game?"

Rosalie laughed enchantingly and looked to Emmett. "You up for the competition, Em?"

Emmett's laugh filled the room as he dropped the game controller and jumped the couch in one nimble leap. Edward's audible groan meant that Emmett's imagination was working overtime with the visual. I tried to hide my grin.

"You couldn't pay me to miss this." He added stopping by Rosalie's side. Rosalie rolled her eyes and nodded at Soren and Kate.

Edward tightened his arms around my waist. I was sure he was listening to Soren organize his mind or perhaps it was Emmett's over visualizing. I laid my head on his shoulder and watched as he gazed at Kate. The room was silent now and all attention was on the small blond vampire that stood next to Soren.

Kate exhaled musically as though absolutely nothing had transpired, she still looked a little expectantly at Soren. He smiled and nodded knowingly. Kate shrugged her shoulders and looked around the room. Her eyes locked on Rosalie and she smiled sweetly, there was a longing in her eyes that you would normally see on Jasper's face when he surreptitiously watched Alice. It was a look of pure, untouchable love.

Rosalie shifted back a little as Kate stepped forward. Emmett laughed lightly and stepped away from his wife.

"This is strange." Rosalie laughed. Kate sighed at the sound of her voice. "Okay, more to the point this is creepy. Can you stop it?"

Soren nodded and closed his eyes. Kate's eyes gained back their normal focus and she grinned stopped dead in the middle of Soren and Rosalie, her eyes were wide with wonder. Tanya's eyes flickered around the room and stopped on Edward briefly before moving on. I felt my skin crawl and my mind seethed. I didn't care what I had to do, I never wanted Tanya left alone with Soren within a mile of my husband.

"That was intense." Kate laughed looking at Soren. "I knew that I shouldn't have those emotions towards my cousin, but there was absolutely no fighting it, every thought was consumed with Rosalie. The way her hair moved when she looked at Emmett, they way her eyes widened with the way I watched her. It was bizarre."

"I second that notion." Rosalie laughed. Shuddering gracefully.

I had never been more glad my mind was untouchable, but it didn't take away the uneasy feeling that had settled in me with the look Tanya had given Edward. It seemed that he'd been naive in thinking she would no longer harbor any affection for him. I tried to look past it, but my stubborn streak decided to step in and help the little green monster flourish.

"So, how about that game?" I asked looking up at Edward who was still laughing at the demonstration. His eyes shifted to me and saw the discomfort I was trying so hard to hide. He kissed the tip of my nose and nodded.

I wouldn't be letting him out of my sight.

* * *

**A/N: I am so cruel, these poor kids have been married for a month with no sex, so when I finally relent miss strawberry blond decides she would intercept. They will have full unadulterated fun soon, ;0)**

**Thanks for the Alerts and Fave. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE REVIEWERS, IT WAS A SLOW CHAPTER SO I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME OUT TO LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT. YOU GUYS ROCK!!**

**BIG HUGZ - L -**


	8. Chapter 8

_**All Things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

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_Thou hast by moon light at her window sung_

_with feigning voice verses of feigning love_

_**-William Shakespeare, A Mid Summer Nights Dream**_

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**Chapter 9 - Revelations**

I was sat on the couch, comfortably lying against Edward. Nothing had happened in the last five hours, Tanya hadn't been anywhere close to Soren, but something was nagging at me to keep up my vigilance. I didn't trust her, and I stupidly enough, I felt guilty.

Tanya's family had been close friends with the Cullen's for so long, and I was sat here judging every move she made. I felt foolish and justified in the same breath. Alice was watching me closely and I knew that she'd picked up something from my decision to stay with the family tonight. She'd been focused for the last hour, watching me meticulously as my eyes inconspicuously followed Tanya around the room.

I had begun to wonder whether Tanya had noticed my staring, I half expected her to turn around and confront me.

Poor Jasper was looking even more confused. My mood shifted from suspicious, to guilty, to angry, to hysterical, all within one breath. I wouldn't blame him if he stood up and bolted from the room as he pulled his beautiful blond hair from his skull. I knew that I was seriously delusional at this point, yet I kept up my vigil.

Alice's eyes glazed a little and her stared unfocused from me. I knew she was seeing something, my keen vision made her dream like stance all the more apparent. I continued watching her until she regained her focus. I'd never noticed some of the subtle changes that happened to Alice when she had a vision. It was strange, depending on the urgency and circumstance, her visions came differently each time. Something small, she could call out without even focusing, it was the same as something insignificant. If it was something that bothered her a little, but didn't want to call a fuss to, she would do what she was doing now. If it was imperative to our survival, she froze completely and her color drained.

"Bella, can I have a minute?" she asked sweetly.

I was worried that Alice would be upset about my accusations, it was evident something was nagging at her by the way she'd just glazed over. I also knew my hesitance was visible to her. I considered my options, it took half a second with my quick thoughts.

My eyes flickered from her to Tanya and back again, why was I so nervous about this? Tanya had known Edward for decades, if she'd still had an inkling of feeling for him, why had she given up trying so long ago? I was starting to believe that it was perhaps her jealousy. Maybe, if he'd continued to be single she wouldn't have given it a second thought, but he'd picked someone, he'd picked me, was that why her persistence was once again visible?

"Bella?" Alice's harmonious voice reached me again as she sang my name, I nodded. If nothing had happened in five hours, I was sure ten minutes wouldn't change anything. At least I hoped it wouldn't.

Edward kissed my temple as I moved to get up, I calmed almost instantly, it was how it always was, his touch had some soothing quality to it that could help my anxiety practically disappear. It was almost enough to make me fall back into his lap and curl up against his chest, but I knew better than to keep Alice waiting.

"I'll be right back." I whispered as I smiled at him.

I followed Alice out of the room. Her steps were quick but I was able to keep up easily. I knew what she wanted to discuss, and I hoped I could give her the answers to her questions without offending her. She was my best friend and sister, but I had a feeling she would think I was overreacting to this situation. I almost couldn't disagree with that assessment. I was fighting a losing battle with my paranoia.

Alice stopped in the large empty living room with the circular fireplace and sat down in the neutral color crescent couch, I took my place beside her and waited for her to start the lecture. It never came.

"Bella, something has changed." she whispered checking the door that we'd just come through.

"What, Alice? I don't understand." This wasn't what I had expected at all. The look of confusion that shrouded her features worried me. I had expected her to laugh at me.

"You're right to be upset. After I saw your decision to stay and watch, I started searching for other decisions. I thought you were just being paranoid, but then I saw Tanya making up her mind. I didn't like what I saw, and to be quite honest, I'm shocked."

Crap, why did I have to be right? The one time I had hoped that I was being paranoid, and it turned out I was right.

"What did you see, Alice?" I felt as though I knew the answer to that, but I still felt the need to ask, I hoped she could provide me with some answers, some extra details that would help me find a way around it.

"She will approach Soren, but it will be when we least expect it, which could of course be the most obvious depending on how you look at it. Her decision changes every time she realizes someone is watching. Your vigil is the only thing that has stopped her so far."

My still heart sank in my chest. "Then why are we here? I should have stayed to keep an eye on her."

"Carlisle is speaking with Soren, they're having a philosophical conversation, which is why I chose to talk to you now. I'm also keeping an eye on Tanya so we'll know to go back. I doubt she would do it with all of us there. In fact, I know she won't, even Kate won't like this. I doubt Irina would either."

I had yet to meet the elusive Irina, according to Kate, she still felt uncomfortable around us, and her pain was considerable. She thought she'd found a mate in Laurent. I knew that her love was stopping her from seeing his mistakes, but I still couldn't sympathize. Laurent had almost killed me. I had to fight to return my train if thought to the situation at hand. It was easier to concentrate nowadays, but it didn't stop the carousel of my mind spinning at the most inopportune times.

Irina wasn't the issue now though, and I knew that my mind was shying away from anything that pointed me to the obvious outcome of this disaster. Tanya would get what she wanted, she would get Edward and every inch of his devotion, and I doubted whether it matter that it was an illusion. After so many decades I was sure that she would take what she could get. I felt almost dizzy as the mental visions danced around my mind. It revolted me. I could feel the air as it struggled around my lungs.

"So how do I stop this, or can't I? Do I need to attach myself to her while Soren is here? Alice, please, how do I stop this?" I was having a full blown panic attack now, my breathing was coming in short spurts blocking the passages of my throat, if my body required me to breath I would be coughing and spluttering now.

"Bella, calm down." Alice sighed, rubbing my arm gently. She looked as though she wanted to slap some sense into me, but i knew that she would never do it. "I am trying to find a way around this, Tanya is smart, she won't leave a bread trail back to herself if she does this, but she doesn't realize that we see the connection between you and Edward, that we know the bond is not breakable. If something happens, I'm sure that everyone will notice."

"And how does that help me, Alice? Won't it be too late by then?" I screeched, my melodic voice peaking. "Won't he have done something that could rip us apart by then, even against his own free will. Can you even imagine what that will do to us." For the first time I was truly cursing the photographic memory, because if these events came about, the images would play through my mind for an eternity, how do you live through that? Then of course there was poor Edward . . .

"I have plan." Alice answered, her eyes wide.

Now she tells me. "Which is?"

"I don't know if it will work," Alice said looking at the door again. Someone was moving around in the game room, I'd heard it too.

"Alice," My voice was begging now, I was grasping. I knew that there was a chance we could talk Soren out of it and reverse the illusion but I was hoping prevention would be better than cure in this case. If this went the way Tanya wanted it to, Edward would remember what he had done and torture himself over it, I couldn't let him suffer like that, and I was sure the Cullen's and the rest of Tanya's coven wouldn't be entirely happy if I detached her head from her pretty little neck.

"Well, it's a long shot, but I overheard Carlisle talking to Esme, and I remembered what Aro said whilst we were in Volterra."

I shuddered at the name, and the memories that stomped around my mind with it. I tired to shake it off so I could concentrate.

"In English, Alice."

"Your gift, Bella. I'm not even sure you have one, but Aro was sure that your ability as a human would transfer to something stronger when you were changed. Carlisle was speculating about that, he wondered if it hasn't shown itself yet because there has been no need for it."

"What is _it_, exactly?" I asked.

"Well, if Aro was right, and it's conducive to your ability to lock people out of your mind while you were human, maybe you could project that."

"Project it."

Alice sighed in frustration. She hated when I repeated her sentences. "I'm not describing this right. If what's blocking your mind from the mental abilities of others is something other that your mind itself, there's a chance you could project the shield to others."

"Shield? Alice, this make absolutely no sense. Wouldn't I know about it, feel it in some way?"

"Not necessarily. Like I said, it was something that was so natural to you as a human, perhaps it's the same now, but maybe, if you tried, you can push it out to protect the minds of others. There are so many abilities that create illusions rather than physically change things."

"Where do we start?" I asked, if Alice was right, and I had the ability to project whatever was protecting me, there was a chance I could stop this from happening. Stop Tanya's petty attempts to steal my husband. I knew it was a long shot, but I had to try something, as strange as it was the theory made a little bit of sense to me. I was safe from some of the more potent talents of the Volturi guard, if this worked for something as trivial as an illusion of love, I was sure I could protect my family from anything else that assaulted them mentally. This thought alone made the need to try stronger.

"We should get Edward, I'm sure he'll be willing to help." Alice trilled and she rolled on the balls of her feet.

"So I'll be protecting you, so he won't read your mind?" I laughed, the idea seemed to make Alice giddy.

Alice grinned. "If all goes to plan, that's exactly what'll happen."

Alice disappeared from beside me without another word. I had absolutely no idea how I was going to even try this. How does someone project something they don't even feel, something they are completely unaware of? I hoped Alice had a plan, I was lost, there was absolutely no solution I could think of.

I started to think hard about the wall that seemed to protect me, I tried to visualize it the best I could. It never seemed to appear as a wall to me, no matter how I thought of it. It came to me as a flexible bubble that hovered around my mind.

Perhaps this was it, or was I subconsciously setting myself up for failure?

I shook off that last thought, if I was going to do this, I had to believe in myself, find my confidence and use that to strengthen whatever it was that protected my mind. I continued with a mantra of 'I can do this,' I paced back forth, trying to visualize anything that would help me.

Alice arrived back quickly with Carlisle and Edward. I shot at look at Alice. She shook her head infinitesimally.

"Esme seemed deep in conversation with Soren." Alice stated boldly to the two men who were accompanying her.

"Yes, he's very interesting, he has a long history." Carlisle agreed, smiling at me.

I smiled weakly at Alice and Carlisle and turned to Edward. He seemed confused as his eyes darted between Alice and I.

"Alice was saying you wanted to attempt to find your talent." Carlisle said, smile still in place.

"Well, we were talking about it. I'm not even sure if I have one, but Alice made me curious. I don't even know how to try, to be honest."

"I have an idea." Alice sang, rolling on the balls of her feet. It made her look like a five year old and I stifled the urge to giggle at her.

"Give me a secret you would never want Edward to know. Make me protect it."

"I don't have any secrets from Edward." I said winking at him. He shot me his crooked grin.

"I can think of one, quite _recent._" Alice said, emphasizing the word that would clue me in.

Edward's golden eyes focused on me, I immediately felt guilty again. I hated keeping things from him, and although this wasn't really something bad, I still flet like I was betraying him in some way. It seemed my guilt was held deep in place by my stubborn streak.

"That's not really a secret, Alice. Just a suspicion." I mumbled. I knew she was referring to my accusation against Tanya. It was something I didn't want to say out loud to anyone else. I didn't want to accuse her until I had the proof. It would cause a rift between the two families, something I didn't want to be responsible for.

Edward's eyes were focused on me curiously. I knew that he he was confused about the context of this. There was nothing I wanted more than to tell him what I thought was going on, but it would hurt everyone if I was wrong. I knew I had Alice on my side, and I knew better than to bet against her, but if it was a decision Tanya never acted on, I would look foolish.

I nodded, reluctantly.

"Okay, Bella. I need you to find what makes you different. What happens when Edward forcibly tries to read your mind?" Carlisle asked. I knew he expected about as much as I did when it came to this. Neither of us really knew what we were looking for.

"Uhh, nothing, I think."

"Edward," Carlisle said.

Edward stepped forward and gazed at me curiously, he was concentrating, I could see the intensity in his eyes. There was a slight nudge in the fabric of my mind, the small bubble that I had visualized while I was alone came into my mind.

"Do you feel anything?" Carlisle asked, excitement evident in his voice.

I nodded and grinned. Edward's eyes widened and I felt the nudging dissipate.

"You felt that?" Edward's astonishment was lacing his velvet voice.

"It was like a nudging, very subtle. When was the last time you really _tried _ to read my mind?" I asked.

"I always listen, but I never _try_ to hear you anymore. The last time I really wanted to was our wedding day. I would have given anything to hear what you were thinking."

My hand reached out for his as the memory of our wedding filled me. I almost wished I could remember it with the sharp vivid images I had now, but the dull image came to me from my human memory. His beauty was still breath taking to me.

"Okay, Bella. Now you've felt it, do you think that perhaps you could manipulate it? Shift it a little?" Carlisle asked.

I tore my eyes away from Edward and looked at Carlisle. His eyes were bright with anticipation, I could have placed the same look to a child at Christmas.

"I can try."

"Okay, focus on Alice. Nothing difficult for now. No pressure." He said smiling, then he turned to Alice. "Alice, can you think of something consistent so Edward can follow your thoughts?"

Alice nodded and grinned, Edward rolled his eyes. Whatever Alice was thinking obviously wasn't exciting to him.

"Bella, try and imagine the barrier where you felt the nudging and try to push it out of yourself, focus it on Alice, if you can."

I nodded and watched Alice as she grinned at Edward. I tried to visualize the bubbly thing again until it came into perfect clarity. I focused on Alice and tried to imagine myself pushing on the bubble to extend it. I felt the tugging at the corners of my mind as I mentally pushed the invisible barrier forwards. The indescribable feeling rang through my mind enforcing the walls and pulling the bubble back into place.

"Gah!" I sighed, I took a breath and refocused on Alice.

"Take your time, Bella. There's no hurry."

I nodded and let my mind focus on the bubble again. I pushed harder this time, the material of the bubble stretched out, but it wasn't far enough. I closed my eyes breaking eye contact with Alice, but I saw her clearly in my mind where she'd been stood four feet in front of me. I tried to thicken the walls of the bubble so they would stretch further, almost as though they were pliable. I could feel the visualization working as the fabric thickened around it's edges, I pushed it out again and opened my eyes, I could feel it licking at the edge of Alice's mind as it tried to envelop her in it's protective casing.

Two things happened at once, I suddenly felt Alice's presence and Edward gasped. The surprise of it broke my concentration and the fabric contracted with a snap to only my mind once again.

"I couldn't hear Alice." Edward mused, laughing with excitement.

Alice grinned widely.

"Excellent, Bella." Carlisle said. His face was alight with the success. I had a feeling he knew all along that it would work. That I was able to do something.

"Try again, Bella. This time hold your concentration, try and keep it around Alice for a little while longer." Edward's voice rang through the room.

I nodded and pulled in my concentration again. I closed my eyes and visualized the bubble, then, with the perfect recall of my memory, I visualized Alice where she stood. I opened my eyes and mentally pushed the bubble towards Alice. This time I tried to keep my concentration. I felt a little more relaxed about the situation now I knew it was possible. I hoped it would help.

I felt Alice's presence again and I held the bubble in place, it took a little less effort than the last time, so it was easier to watch for Edward's reaction. His eyes lit up and he looked at me, the full force of his crooked grin hit me and I smiled, but I kept the bubble in place with the wide expanse of my mind.

"Edward?" Carlisle asked.

"Nothing, it's just like Bella. I can't hear a thing."

"Bella," Carlisle asked, smiling at me again. "Do you feel him still?"

"No, there's no nudging this time."

"Edward, really try now, like you did with Bella."

Edward nodded and threw his concentration at Alice. It took thirty seconds for the effort to reach the outer confines of the bubble, but I felt it. He was trying. I nodded, alerting Carlisle to the feeling.

"I feel it now, it's the same kind of nudging." I said grinning. Edward gazed at me, his eyes full of pride.

I stopped trying and felt the fabric snap close around my mind once again. It took quite a bit of effort to extend it out over any distance but I hoped, that with time, I could keep it out longer and eventually not have to think about it so much. I also hoped it was strong enough to keep out anything unwanted. Edward's mind reading wasn't really a threat, but my mind protected itself from his ability for a reason, I just hoped that nothing stronger would penetrate it.

"That was fantastic, I was calling you some terrible things, Edward" Alice sang. Grinning at her brother, her eyes alight with her amusement.

"It seems like you may have to play with it and practice. I'm sure with time you'll be comfortable projecting it. You have done beautifully though. I never expected you to grasp it that quickly. It normally takes weeks to get this far. You're a natural." Carlisle's voice was filled with the same pride that had filled Edward's eyes.

"It's exciting, I almost expected nothing to happen." I laughed. I thought I knew why I had been successful, it was the only reason that made any sense. the desperation of this situation was driving me forward, I didn't know how much time I had, and it made my need for success all the more urgent. If things went the way Alice saw them going, I needed this bubble and I needed it to be strong.

"Aro, is rarely struck with misconception unfortunately. His intuitions about these things is generally on the money. I would say we have to keep this quiet as long as we can." Carlisle sighed. I was sure he hated that his friends had turned out to be such a disappointment. I think he'd held them in such high of a regard that the let down was made all the more painful.

I tried to divert the conversation from where it was headed. There was no point in dragging up our fears in such a euphoric moment. I knew that we would eventually have to deal with Aro and his brothers, but now was not the time. We had fulfilled our side of the arrangement, I was immortal, the one stipulation to letting me live. It was time to focus on the excitement.

"Alice, did you feel any different?" I asked hopefully.

"Not really, but you became so much clearer, the clarity was amazing."

"I could feel you too." I laughed. "It was strange, you seemed to be so much clearer to me."

"Clearer? How?" she asked, her dainty eyebrows almost met in the middle of her forehead.

"It's hard to explain, it was like I could feel your presence in my mind. Does that make any sense at all?"

We didn't have time to wonder for long, we were joined by the rest of the family as well as the Denali's and Soren. I rolled my eyes and Alice looked just as frustrated, we'd barely scratched the surface of our experimentation.

Tanya practically floated across the room, I could feel her excitement emanating from her. I understood why now, Alice had confirmed it for me when she'd pulled me from the room. There was no doubt about what Tanya wanted anymore. I was simply relieved that I knew one way or the other. I would have still been doubting Tanya's motives if I hadn't spoken to Alice, the guilt would still be bothering me and I would continue to chastise myself for being so paranoid. However, Alice had seen it, and I knew better than to bet against her.

Soren smiled at our small group as they approached. I returned the smile, there was absolutely no point in being rude to our guest, it didn't matter what he was capable of, he didn't know us well enough to understand the complexity of our family and I couldn't hold that against him. He also owed none of us any loyalty. Tanya, I was sure, would make it worth his while. These vampires never did anything in halves.

"Soren needs to hunt." Tanya announced cheerfully. "I'm going to take him in the right direction so there's no confusion."

I laughed internally. When your senses were as sharp as ours and your intelligence was being questioned, it was hard not to feel insulted. Were her intentions only obvious to Alice and I?

I felt my stomach harden with the anger that simmered inside of me. I tried to stifle the emotion before it got out of hand, I knew that letting my anger get the best of me would do nothing to prove my point. The cogs in my mind began to run slowly as an idea bubbled to the surface. I wondered if I had the patience and restraint to execute it.

Alice was by my side in a second, her amber eyes alight with her scheming, I knew she'd seen what I was deciding.

"I'm blocking my vision so Edward doesn't see." she mumbled so low I could barely hear her, even though she was directly by my side. "Cover me."

I nodded casually and concentrated on the bubble again. This time it came with ease, it was more flexible but the external walls were stronger. There was still a little resistance as my mind adapted to the extension, but I didn't have to push quite so hard. It was exciting.

Alice grinned at me as she let her vision pick up what I'd been planning. I felt her presence again and relaxed, letting her think in peace, there was no way Edward would read her mind through my walls of defense.

"It'll work." she said in the same hushed tone. "We'll talk about it later."

I nodded. "You still need the barrier?" I asked in a low whisper.

"No, we're good."

I pulled back the fabric of the bubble, this time without the snap, it came to me gently this time, slowly wrapping itself around my mind.

"What was that?" Edward asked, sliding to my side and wrapping his arms around my waist.

I decided to play dumb, if this was really the way I was going to take this, I had to make sure we were right, and I was keeping my mouth shut. This was going to be physical revelation.

"What was what?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Bella, you just covered Alice again."

"Oh, that. It was practice." I said simply, smiling at him. "It's getting easier each time I try."

There was a small amount of doubt in Edward's eyes, but he nodded, letting it slide, for now. I saw a brief flash of pride as he turned his attention back to the discussion of hunting grounds. I looked to Alice and winked, this would be painful.

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**A/N: Okaly Dokaly, hope that was okay. It's setting the scene, I decided to keep Bella's gift the same, but there are some differences. It was something that just seemed logical to me, but I won't spoil the surprise.**

**If you guys are looking for a new story to read, I have put a link on my profile to a story i think you'll enjoy ;)**

**Thanks for all the faves and Reviews and of course, as always a big ole THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS . . . YOU GUYS ARE REALLY FANSTASTICAL AND YOU HARDCORE ROCK!**

**BIG HUGZ - L -**

**P.S. I will be doing Breaking Dawn through Alice's eyes next, but I am struggling with a title, any idea's, My only idea was (_A Ratification of Light), _I am still undecided about it, so input would be much appreciated. :) Peace, Love and Edward. ;0)**


	9. Chapter 9

_**All Things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer**_

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**Chapter 10 - The Ruse**

"Alice?" I hissed her name as I once again snuck away from the large grouping. I was wandering around the forest outside the house, she'd asked me to meet her so we could talk away from prying ears.

"Bella?" Alice giggled, she was deeper in the forest, but I could hear her as clearly as I could hear the breeze pushing past me. I ran towards her voice, finding her quickly.

"This is so exciting," she sang pulling me into the shadow of a large cluster of trees. "I feel like we should be in some cheesy spy movie from the eighties."

"Alice," I laughed wrapping my arm around her shoulders. "There really is no need for all of this, we could have spoken out of ear shot _in_ the house!"

"Where's the fun in that?"

I shook her gently with the arm that was still wrapped around her shoulders, and then I dropped my arm. It seemed neither of us were as worried about the situation anymore, it had become more of a game. A game of wits, and it seemed Alice and I had the upper hand. We'd managed to keep the discovery of my gift from coming up in the conversation before Tanya and Soren left, which meant that Tanya wouldn't know that I would be able to block the offensive when it came at us. Alice would see when it was coming, and she would know whether or not Soren agreed. This was something we were both unsure about, it was the reason we'd kept this to ourselves, if Soren disagreed to Tanya's wishes, the problem would never arise.

Yes, it was a game of wits, a strategic game that would finally show the Cullen's what Tanya was capable of. It was strange because I didn't hate Tanya for this, nor would I hold it against her. Edward was an amazing man, and I was sure that any unmated female would be blind not to notice him. I had just been lucky enough to have him notice me. I just hoped Tanya wouldn't lose her temper with us. There was a chance, albeit a small one, but a chance all the same, that she truly believed the Cullen's would be happy about Edward seemingly genuine change of heart.

I was becoming curious as to why she hadn't factored in Alice's gift, or how she thought our family would be accepting of the situation, did she honestly believe this would work and no one would notice?

"This isn't supposed to be fun, Alice."

"I know but I can't help enjoying myself, do you know how long it's been since I could keep secrets?"

"Fifty odd years?"

"Guess you do know." Alice laughed.

"I don't want to hurt anyone, Alice. I just want to protect my husband from this insanity."

"I know, and quite honestly, I'm shocked. I can't believe Tanya would do this, it's almost farcical the way it's turned out."

Farcical seemed like an apt description of todays events. If I hadn't have known better I would have thought it _was_ a joke. More to the point, I couldn't believe Tanya would think she could get around this unnoticed. Did she have a plan Alice and I hadn't seen?

"Do you think we're overreacting?" I asked. "I mean, how can she think no one would notice?"

"I think that's the problem, she's not thinking. It seems to me like her jealousy has clouded her judgment, I don't believe she's gone through every aspect of this."

"But she hasn't attempted anything since that first time, why now?"

"Are you insane?" Alice laughed. "She tries every time we come here . . ." Alice's voice trailed off into nothing as she noticed my expression. "Oops."

"Alice, are you telling me that Tanya has _never_ gotten over this thing she has for Edward?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"No, he didn't. He told me she expressed interest and he declined, he implied that it happened once."

Alice's silence told me all I needed to know, the sounds of the forest surrounding us thumped through my ears. Why hadn't he told me? Had I simply not listened? Had I assumed?

I spun around and headed back towards the house.

"Bella, where are you going?"

I ignored the question and marched on, my confusion and anger were driving me forwards, since I had met Soren my emotions had been spiraling slowly out of control. Paranoia and guilt were comfortable companions in my mind and my emotions were running ragged. I was beginning to feel like my happy little world had been turned upside down.

I heard Alice's footsteps behind me, but she stayed out of my line of sight. I thundered on, dull human memories ran through my mind again. Rosalie had been the one to mention it, I remembered that much, and I had outright asked Edward about it. What if I had been naive, I had let the conversation end at that, I never asked him whether or not she was still interested, I hadn't even asked him if she'd expressed interest since.

Crap, why did my emotions have to be so unstable, I didn't care if I was a new born. I needed to get a grip!

I stopped and looked at Alice who was trotting behind me wearily. "Alice, am _I_ overreacting?"

"Well, I really don't know what he told you Bella, so I can't say for certain."

I sighed and looked at the house and back at Alice.

"I just want you to let me know when they've made the decision."

Alice nodded, "As soon as I see something, you'll know."

I nodded and continued back to the house. This time I tried thinking a little more clearly. If it came up again I would ask Edward, but with the the impending situation it would be a moot point. It would have to be one of those things I pushed to the back of my mind.

Walking calmed me down a little, it stopped the aggravation from getting to me, it also gave me a chance to run the conversation through my head over and over again looking for connotations that I had perhaps missed. A little interest, he'd certainly down-played the situation. Yet I couldn't hold it against him. He'd been through so much with me and Jacob, it also seemed as though Mike Newton had gotten to him on occasion. I was just overreacting, he wasn't interested so why should this bother me so much?

Perhaps it was their insistence at bringing me here, all the assurances that I was worrying about nothing. Maybe it was because Tanya was gorgeous, even among vampires. I didn't know for certain, but at least I didn't feel crazy anymore.

"Hey, Love. Where were you?" Edward embraced me as I entered the house. His touch wiped away the last of the anger and questions that had been brewing in my mind. I finally felt relaxed again. His golden eyes were full of concern as he read my expression. I knew I hadn't been quick enough. I couldn't out this on his shoulders yet, I had to wait for confirmation, I had to know that she would go through with it.

"What's the matter?" Edward looked over my shoulder and saw Alice following me in. I could tell he was trying to read her mind, his eyes narrowed slightly with confusion. I shrugged and kissed him lightly on the neck, wrapping my arms around his waist. His arms pulled me tighter to him. I could feel the tension in his muscles. I, however, felt better, being this close to him and inhaling his scent calmed my overactive mind. i just hoped he wouldn't be uupset that I'd kept this from him.

"What's Alice up to?" he whispered into my hair.

"Why do you think she's up to something?" my voice was muffled against his shirt.

"She's blocking me."

"It's not me." I laughed

"No, she's translating again, keeping her mind busy."

I turned my head on his chest and looked at Alice. I winked at her so she would know that whatever she was doing was working. She smiled and headed towards where Jasper was waiting for her with open arms.

The rest of the night was spent on the couches with Alice and Jasper. Jasper and I had become so much closer since my change, he had been disappointed at my lack of bloodlust in the beginning, nut now he was happy that he could spend more time with Alice, even if she was around me. He'd also been a good brother, answering any questions I had about my new life. The four of us spent a lot of time together, we enjoyed one another's company.

Nothing happened for hours, we just sat chatting about when we first met and how things had changed since then. We skipped over the black period, it became a habit now, we never spoke of that time, there was nothing to say, our lives had simply skipped a beat in those long months. The only good memory it brought back was my easy friendship with Jake. Easy at the time anyway.

Each of us fell silent as we lulled into our own memories, it was the closest to sleep I had gotten since I had been changed, it felt so comfortable and natural. Edward and I were laid side by side on a couch, his arm hung around my waist and his breath washed across my neck sending loose strands of my hair dancing across my neck. It was easy to be with one another like this, it's how we spent our time while in our meadow. The meadow was definitely somewhere I wanted to visit before we moved away from Forks. It was where our story began, it was where we declared our love for one another. More recently, it was where I had realized that I'd wanted to marry Edward.

On another couch, Alice was lying on Jasper's chest, Jasper's hand was tracing gentle patterns across Alice's back. Alice looked as though she'd achieved sleep, her dainty lids covered her bright eyes and her face was the epitome of relaxation. I understood their love for one another now, they were two halves of a whole, they were so attuned to one another they rarely found a need to speak. Jasper lived for Alice alone, she was the only thing he'd ever wanted since he'd met her, his entire world revolved around her. It reminded me a lot of the wolves imprinting, the way Jacob has described it was, gravity moves, and when I looked at Alice and Jasper it made perfect sense.

There was never silence, our hearing never allowed that, there were always background noises. Most of the noise came from the forest, it was teeming with wildlife. I listened as the gentle padding of hooves and the gentle thud of heartbeats gave away their location. They gave the house a wide berth because of us, our scent scared them, with good reason. I listened as the animals collectively wandered, the sound was hypnotic, easily lulling me into a false form of slumber.

"Bella!" Alice practically screeched my name. My eyes met hers and without even thinking about it I pushed the bubble around her, it was almost to easy now it moved to her with speed and accuracy, I felt her presence as soon as it wrapped around her mind. Alice, was finally seeing what we'd been waiting for. She needed the privacy only I could give her, so she could see it clearly. I sat up, keeping the bubble intact around her as she watched the decision's being made.

Edward was sat up behind me, I imagined it had been the same time as I had, I hadn't felt him move, but I knew Alice's call had alerted him. he placed a hand on my shoulder, I knew he was looking for answers. I turned to looked at him, but kept a mental image of the bubble surrounding Alice. It seemed to work. I could still feel her presence and the wide expanse of my mind as it formed around her mind.

Edward's eyes were full of concern and confusion and my breath hitched in my throat, I hated not telling him everything. Unfortunately, this was something I had to be sure of, and he had to be kept out of the loop until I knew what was coming at us and how to deal with it.

"Bella? What's going on?" His voice cut through me, my resolve weakened a little. I hated this deception.

"I'll explain everything later," I sighed. "I just want to make sure we're right."

Edward's eyes narrowed and then he nodded. His trust in me was more than I could ever ask for. I appreciated that he was willing to drop it until I needed to tell him, even as sure as I was about him understanding all if this, i couldn't let him throw accusations around without proof. Proof was where Alice's idea came into play, it was also something I was still unsure about. I kissed Edward's lips gently and stood up, heading towards Alice. Her eyes focused on me and she nodded, it had been as I'd feared, Tanya had asked and Soren had agreed.

"When?" I whispered.

Jasper sat up and looked between Alice and I, I knew he could feel our emotions, and I was sure that about now he was as curious as Edward was.

"When they get back."

"When?" I repeated.

"Thirty minutes at most."

I nodded and looked back at Edward, his eyes were flickering between Alice and I, he was trying to decipher our expressions, but it was pointless. I was shocked, and Alice was still in the bubble. the only thing I could feel was nausea, well as close as I could get to that, I didn't understand any of this. Why now, I understood that gifts like Soren's were more than likely few and far between, but still he was married, and happily married at that. Why would she want to take that away from him? Is wasn't as though Soren was going to be around forever. As soon as Edward had been given his free will, he would have, in my imagination at least, wanted to tear her head from her shoulders.

"Bella," Edward was up and heading towards me, I watched each of his muscles tense and relax as he moved, my mind was concentrating, but my eyes were on him. I was worrying him now. I was sure he still trusted my judgment, but he was worried. Alice and I had spoken without divulging one piece of critical information. All the boys knew, was something was coming and it would be here in less than thirty minutes.

"Edward, do you trust me?" I asked, my voice was barely above a whisper as the corners of my mind wrapped around the plan.

"Of course, unequivocally." his eyes were wide, my question had shocked him.

"I will explain, but I think it would be more . . ." what was the word he'd once used? "Prudent, if you let me show you."

Edward nodded at me, the shock was gone and it was replaced by his conviction in me. I knew I was taking a risk. I could easily block him from this so he would never know what was happening, but I needed him to understand why I was so suspicious of Tanya.

Alice watched me carefully. "Is it alright to move around?" she asked. I knew she was referring to the bubble that was surrounding her. I nodded, I had been mentally protecting her for the last ten minutes without much effort. I figured if I let my mind follow her presence I could continue to keep her surrounded. I would eventually have to test my limitations, but now was not the time.

Jasper's eyes darted between the two of us again, I had forgotten that we hadn't explained my gift to anyone. He was holding onto his emotions for now, like Edward, he knew something was coming, and not knowing what it was made him nervous, he didn't know whether to bunker down, run for the hills, or fight the good fight.

Alice stood up and paced the room, the look in her eyes told me her mind was working faster than I could ever keep up with. Jasper and Edward watched her as danced from left to right.

Her head popped up and she looked at me. "Ten minutes, they're moving quicker than I thought."

I took a deep breath and nodded, my eyes automatically searched for Edward to calm my now fraying nerves. Even with my ability to protect him, I was nervous, I didn't know how potent Soren's gift was, my mind protected me from him, but would it extend to protect others like it had done when Edward had tested it? I had seen his example with Kate and Rose, but I didn't even know how hard he'd been trying. I could feel my nerves bubbling inside me, they were running through my body, Clashing with the wave of calm Jasper was attempting to spread through me.

"Jasper, please stop that, you're breaking my concentration." Alice asked quietly.

Jasper looked at Alice, he was confused. "I wasn't directing that at you, Alice. I was directing it at Bella."

Alice and I exchanged glances. That was new. Somehow, being in the bubble exposed her to my experiences. We would address that later, it was just another limitation to test. For now we had to focus on what was coming.

"Five minutes."

Edward and Jasper now exchanged a glance. They weren't sure _what_ was arriving in five minutes. I could see them considering their defensive stance. Alice shook her head at them.

"No need." she sighed.

The time was ticking away quickly, and I felt an overwhelming need to hold Edward as we counted down, something in the back of my mind made this feel like an apocalypse, I threw my arms around his neck with so much enthusiasm I almost knocked us both to the ground, I wished I could tell him, I wished I could protect him and act as though nothing had happened, but this was _the_ only way to show him why I was so nervous, why I'd been acting so strange for the last couple of hours, why I distrusted Tanya.

Edward's hands crossed around my back and his hands cupped my neck gently. I looked into his anxious eyes, lost in the pooling of the gold.

"I love you, Edward." I whispered, leaning my forehead against his shoulder.

"Bella, you're scaring me, what's the matter? What's going on?"

"You're about to find out." Alice sighed, approaching me.

I kissed Edward's neck, I knew I was being silly, but I felt hopeless as I stepped back and waited.

Alice and I exchanged a look and she picked up my hand in support. Her tiny hand squeezed it gently and I knew we were out of time, and I was about to have a taste of life without Edward. I shuddered, biting back the threatening emotions.

"Now." she whispered, her eyes trained on Edward.

Alice and I stood in silence squeezing one another's hands, Jasper's eyes were watching us full of confusion and Edward look worried. I closed my eyes and pulled in a long unneeded breath as I waited for Soren to complete his end of the bargain with Tanya, and it occurred to me. Why would he agree? What was in this for him? He had known us all the same amount of time and there was no loyalties laid out yet, Why would he agree to hurt us like that?

"Why?" I said out loud, I caught the attention of the other three in the room.

Alice went to ask me what I was talking about but we both became distracted with the complete glazed look in Edward's eyes. I knew that the illusion had been set. Edward's expression changed drastically and my stomach lurched.

Jasper's eyes widened and he frowned at Edward. "What the hell?"

"What is it, Jazz?" Alice squeaked nodding at me. I released Alice from the confines of the bubble and relaxed as it gently formed around the shape of my mind again, hugging the shape as it relaxed. It was almost comforting to let it hug around me like this.

"Edward, is . . . Edward?" Jasper stuttered.

Edward looked around the small room, his eyes were on me, but the fire and passion that normally washed over him as he looked at me was no longer there. My chest cracked a little at the sight and my body rolled with a wave of nausea that would never show itself. The hollowness behind his eyes made my head spin, I felt cold for the first time since becoming immortal, tremors rolled through me violently. I hadn't been prepared for this, I hadn't expected that cold blank look, the hand that wasn't holding Alice's flew to my chest as grasped at the dead organ that hung uselessly behind the hard exterior.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I have to go." he whispered as he turned to leave the room. There was no emotion in his words, it didn't even sound like Edward to me, there was no warmth in his voice, no smile.

Jasper's eyes widened as he looked between Edward and I. Alice released my hand and made her way over to Jasper, Without her touch I felt even colder, I felt alone, abandoned. Even though it was a simply illusion, there was more truth to it than the lies he'd told me when he left after my eighteenth birthday, because even then, there was love behind his eyes, I just hadn't known to look for it. This slap in the face was a taste of life without Edward. It wasn't something I ever wanted to deal with again.

Alice rolled onto her toes as she reached Jasper, so her mouth was closer to his ear, I could hear a faint murmuring but her voice was so low I couldn't pick up the words. Jasper looked shocked as she unfolded our story to him, but I couldn't keep my eyes on him, Edward's reaction was more important.

"Has anyone seen Tanya?" he said, stepping farther away from me. His expressionless eyes searched my face for an answer.

I shook my head and tried to shake off the paroxysm that ate at the corners of me. I knew I needed the others to see this before I could bring him back, but the stabbing was making it excruciatingly difficult. This was harder than I'd ever anticipated, this was never part of the deal. Why did I feel so weak? Why did this feel so real? A sob shook my body as I fell to my knees, it was too much for me. I hadn't imagined how tormenting this would be. My breaths were locked in my chest as I fought to drag in some air. I was so distracted I couldn't even push the bubble out, and I was trying. Every inch of me tried to calm down my mind but I was beyond consolation.

My palms pressed against the ground but I felt nothing, the world felt like it had stopped spinning and all the memories of separation drowned me. This was so much worse than those long months apart, because I knew he loved me, I knew, conscious or not, that he had always wanted me and loved me more than I deserved.

This atrocity, though a simply deception, was so much worse. I could see the lack of emotion behind his eyes as he looked at me, I could feel the coldness emanating from him. I could feel the void that shrouded me. I had to try and concentrate so I could bring him back to me, so I could block this pain. That's exactly what this was, pain, it had passed experimentation now, I didn't want to feel this hole anymore.

Jasper and Alice were by my side as I hit the ground. Jasper was mumbling a stream of profanities under his breath, the words a constant stream. Alice comforted me with words.

"Bella, he loves YOU, this is all an illusion, you have to remember that and look at it objectively. I can't do this with you broken down this way. It will only make it worse for him when he's freed of this. You have to be strong, for Edward."

Alice was right, I knew this, but the pain continued to eat at the core of me. I tried to stand up, but my legs were too weak. Why did I feel as though my reason for being had disappeared. Was the bond between us so strong that it dictated how we lived?

Jasper cradled me in his arms and whisked me from the floor. He glared at Edward with such animosity that I felt immediately guilty.

Edward was watching the scene, confusion was the only expression he wore.

"Edward, I . . . you . . . bitch!" Jasper struggled to find the right sentiment, I knew he was avoiding leveling my emotions because he was so filled with anger he couldn't find the right emotion to ease me. I understood because I couldn't find any other emotion in myself, I felt like I was giving up.

"Jasper, remember it's not his fault. Just keep him here, I'll get Carlisle and the others."

"What the hell?" I recognized the voice but I couldn't look.

"Calm down, Emmett. Just sit down and we'll explain. Just don't let Edward leave. Rose, help Bella please."

I felt Rosalie's breath on my cheek as she helped Jasper set me on my feet. Her arm wrapped around me. She was holding me close to her and rocking me gently as we stood still. The action was so comforting, I tired to regain my breathing, I matched it with hers as we rocked together. I buried myself in her shoulder and tried to find my strength. Rosalie was one of the strongest people I knew, I tried to draw some of that strength from her.

"Jasper, what the hell is going on?" Rosalie hissed as she smoothed my hair against my head.

"Wait until Alice returns with Carlisle and Esme, she'll explain it all."

"Can you at least tell me why I am comforting Bella, while Edward stands on the other side of the room looking like the village idiot?"

"It's one in the same. Bella will be fine, she's suffering from shock at the moment." Jasper sighed as he patted my back in calming circles.

It didn't take long for Alice to return with Carlisle and Esme, but it felt like an eternity to me as I tried to find my calm center. I knew the moment that they entered the room because Esme gasped and had pulled me from Rosalie's comforting embrace in almost the same moment. Rosalie touched her hand to my cheek gently and smiled before stepping away to glare at Alice.

"What the hell is going on, Alice. Bella is practically inconsolable. I want answers!"

Carlisle headed towards Edward and pushed a claw onto his shoulder holding him in place, from where I was buried into Esme's shoulder I could see the decision forming in his mind. Carlisle's words, however, were for Alice.

"Alice, what's going on?"

"I saw Tanya ask our new friend, Soren, to do her a favor," Alice waited to see whether anyone would make the connection. Rosalie was the first to respond.

"No, Alice she wouldn't . . . Would she?"

"She has, Rose! Bella can stop this but we were afraid that no one would believe us. Bella has always been suspicious of Tanya, but I never had a reason to believe that she was capable of this, so I never looked for it. When Soren arrived and we discovered his little gift, I saw it as soon as Tanya made the decision to try."

"But, it can't be . . ." Carlisle gasped.

"Check for yourself, Carlisle. Bella isn't blocking Soren from Edward at the moment, talk to him." Alice sighed as she approached me and gave me a comforting smile. 'It'll be over soon, Bella."

"I can't believe it." sighed Esme into my hair.

I heard Carlisle approach Edward. Alice was blocking my line of vision now.

"Edward?"

"Yes, Carlisle?" Frustration was evident in his voice.

"Is it true? Are you in love with Tanya?"

"Why is that so hard for all of you to imagine?" Edward sighed in frustration.

"Because you love Bella, you jackass!" Rosalie spat.

"I . . . I . . . don't know what to tell you. I just realized that I can't live without her, that blond hair, the way it falls around her like a blanket of gold. I wish you would understand. Bella, I'm so very sorry, I never meant to hurt you."

"Okay, Bella." Carlisle sighed.

I chocked out a sob in relief as I concentrated on Edward. I pushed the bubble towards him. There was more resistance from it in my emotional state, but I tried to take comfort in the fact that he would be back to normal as soon as the bubble enclosed him. I took deep measured breaths as I pushed, it became more pliable the farther I pushed it.

"What did you mean by Bella blocking him?" asked Emmett, he'd been the only one to pick that up in the conversation.

"We found Bella's gift. Do you remember how she blocks Edward from her thoughts, and of course blocks others like him, that manipulate the mind?" Carlisle asked.

"Of course, but . . ." Rosalie started but Carlisle cut her off.

"She can extend it, she can protect any one of us from the same abilities. I know why you were so desperate to try now, Bella."

I smiled at him as the bubble settled into place around Edward. I sighed at the feeling of his presence. It had felt so cold without the warmth of his love. I watched as the situation dawned on him. His eyes were full of fury as he looked around the family.

I love you, Edward Cullen, was the only thought running through my mind now. I wanted him to look at me and I wanted to see the passion and the love behind his golden eyes. I wanted the warmth of his love to fill me again.

"I love you too, Bella." Edward's voice filled my soul with the warmth that had vacated me since our small experiment. I felt his arms envelope me as he pulled me from Esme's embrace. His hands moved around me like his fingers could never get enough. I knew, with the fire of his touch and the blanket of his love that I never wanted to go through that again.

"Neither do I, Love." Edward whispered, kissing my forehead.

The whole room stopped and looked at us, and although it took me a while to realize what had just happened, I finally got there. . .

Edward had heard my thoughts.

* * *

**A/N: Dun Dun Dun . . . The plot thickens ;) . . . Like I said before I am writing a couple of chapters ahead so I can really edit them when the time comes, and I should probably warn you all, sometime in the future there is some Lemony goodness, I'm not telling you when. it'll ruin the surprise!!**

**Anywho, I know this is kind of a strange chapter, I just wanted to take this opportunity to think how Bella's life would be if Edward didn't love her -SHUDDERS- Let's just say it was difficult to write.**

**Thank you for the Alerts and Faves, and thank you so so much to the REVIEWERS . . . YOU GUYS ARE THE EPITOME OF THE WORD ROCK, SERIOUSLY!**

**-BIG HUGZ- L-**


	10. Chapter 10

_**All things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

* * *

**Chapter 11 - Retribution**

"I heard that!" Edward exclaimed as he picked me up in the air. "I heard your thoughts, I heard you thinking about me hearing your thoughts."

Edward's lips cashed onto mine as he pulled my body flush against his. He was in a state of elation. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around his neck and litter his face with kisses after our lips parted. Was this a product of being in the confines of the bubble? Was my mind wide open when the bubble held someone with those powers within it?

"I think that's exactly it." laughed Edward, setting me slowly on my feet.

"_What_ is _exactly_ it?" seethed Rosalie. She hated being left out of the loop as much as the next person.

"I can hear Bella's mind, and she was wondering whether it was the product of being inside her minds protection."

"That's certainly an interesting concept, Edward, can you still hear our thoughts?" Carlisle asked stepping towards us.

Edward concentrated and grinned. "Perfectly."

I felt the gentle prodding of something on the out perimeter of the bubble, and it brought my mind back to the situation at hand. Tanya and her obsessive want of Edward. How long would it take to stop? When would they notice that it hadn't worked?

Edward's smile faded, his eyes narrowed and his face dropped. My hands immediately cradled his face.

"What is it, Edward?"

"I hurt you again, Bella. I may have been temporarily distracted, but I will never forget the look on your face. It was the strangest feeling in the world, knowing I wanted to be with you, but the pull toward Tanya was strong, it felt so wrong. It's hard to explain."

"I'm sorry about that, I tried not to react, but seeing your eyes without the warmth of love for me, I wasn't prepared for that, it crushed me under it's weight, I knew what was coming I should have been more prepared. I just wanted you to see. I wanted you to know why I have always been so nervous about this."

"Yes, this will be a problem." Carlisle sighed, "We've been friends for a long time. This puts us in a precarious situation."

"I have to admit, if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I would never have thought she would try something like that." Rosalie sighed.

"The question is, how could she?" Alice's voice had a slight edge to it as she tangled herself in Jasper's arms.

It was a good question, Tanya had never rally liked me, but if her emotions for Edward were what the seemed to be, how could she hurt him like this? Why would she hurt him like this? There were so many questions that needed answers, and the only person who could answer them was Tanya.

"I have an idea, if anyone's interested." Emmett said, a large beaming smile covered his features as his mind worked.

Edward chuckled lightly as he removed my hands from his cheeks, and kissed me on the forehead. "I'm certainly game." he laughed. "I don't normally condone these kinds of things, but in this case, I think it's well called for."

Rosalie's hands flew to her hips in frustration. Her eyebrows rose as she glared at her husband.

"Payback," Emmett said, his hand ran down the length of Rosalie's back. "It may turn around and bite us in the ass, but it may turn out quite useful in diffusing the situation. either way I think the situation warrants it."

"I don't know." Esme said, she was never one to instigate unpleasantness.

"Well, what were you thinking, Emmett?" Alice asked. I knew she'd already seen it but she wanted Emmett to share it with the rest of us.

"Edward plays along. Bella keeps him within the confines of her protection, but he acts as though there's no such thing. We all play along, acting shocked, Bella can continue being devastated. We turn our backs on Edward making the situation unbearably sticky. Then we wait and see what Tanya will do, will she call it all off and tell Soren to release Edward? Or will she continue on, and hope that Edward will stay with her when we leave? Once we know the answer, we can regroup and figure out how to play the game."

"This isn't a game, Emmett. Tanya, Edward and Bella could get hurt with this. It could cut the ties between our families." Esme said defensively.

"I understand that, Esme." Edward said stroking my hair gently, "And quite honestly, I don't want to put Bella through this, but if Tanya changes her mind, we can walk away, knowing she still holds some integrity. If she doesn't we can play it off as a prank. She should really know better, what with Alice's vision and my mind reading. We were just lucky that Bella has this gift, otherwise things could be severed beyond repair, because I can guarantee you that if Bella hadn't been able to protect me, and Tanya had continued this, when I was finally released, the outcome would not have been good. this is the way things worked out and I think we should use it to our advantage."

"Exactly, if Bella never possessed this gift, could you imagine the suffering we would be going through, Alice would have seen it coming, but could we have prepared for it? Would it have stopped her from being so cruel, taking away Edward's free will?" Rosalie said levelly. "I understand that they are our extended family, Esme, I really do, but have you considered the outcome of this if it hadn't have been caught? Bella is as much a part of this family as the rest of us, if Edward had been disillusioned and followed through, he would have been ripped apart by every one of us, including you."

Esme nodded, her eyes were wide as she envisioned the picture Rosalie painted. It was true, even knowing what was happening, Jasper had lost his temper with his brother because of the pain it inflicted upon me. It would be the same with any couple, male or female. It's just how we operated as a family. I was over come by the protectiveness Rosalie had been showing me recently, but this was the icing on the cake, she had been close with Tanya, but she was siding with me. It was a little overwhelming to say the least.

"Alice," Edward said, pulling me into his side securely. His hands ran down the side of my body as he pulled me to him, my body flamed up and my need for Edward flared, my mind painted a vivid picture as I ran through the images of us on the mountain and where it had been going with perfect recall. My mind continued the thought to where it would have gone. Why did his touch send my sex drive spiraling into oblivion? I needed to get a grip on myself, my control was getting better but Edward sent my thoughts into another dimension, making very difficult to focus.

Edward's chuckle pulled me back to reality, and with that reality came the realization that he'd heard every thought that just ran through my head. I looked up at him and grinned, his eyes were wide as his tongue fidgeted on his lips. He had seen everything!

"Sorry," I mouthed.

His reply was a kiss on the neck.

"Yes?" Alice asked biting back a smile.

It took a second for Edward to collect his thoughts after being distracted by mine. "Eh, how long till they get back?"

"Ten minutes, they've slowed time to make sure you have enough time to _miss_ her!" Alice's distaste was evident.

"Okay, well, we need to break up, go back to what we were doing. Just make sure that if you see me with Tanya you act surprised and angry. I'm sure Jasper can help with that if necessary." Edward was looking down at me now, his golden eyes trying to read my mind and my expression, but my mind was empty. I didn't know how to deal with this, how I would react seeing Tanya laying her hands on my husband. Especially after the visual I had just created for myself.

"Bella, I need you to keep this bubble around me, do you think you can do that?"

I nodded, the bright side of that was occurring to me.

"You, need to not think like that." Edward laughed burying his head into my should as he inhaled my scent. "This time you're planning on having fun aren't you?"

I nodded and shrugged my shoulders. This would be a test of the bubble, my small protective shield, but I was sure if I envisioned Edward in my mind it would follow him wherever he went. I just hoped it wasn't limited by distance.

"Alice, can you be comforting Bella when they arrive? Jasper and I can be arguing. We'll start things off with a bang."

Crap, Edward had always said my acting ability left a lot to be desired. I knew I would over think this and ruin what we were trying to do.

"Just keep your head down, Bella." Edward chuckled. "You'll be fine."

Emmett and Rosalie left hesitantly, I knew they wanted to be a part of this, but I had a feeling they would get their chance soon enough. Carlisle and Esme couldn't leave the room fast enough, they were both worried, but our reasoning had won them over. Their surprise was still evident, I was sure they had never considered Tanya doing something so vindictive.

So the stage was set, all of the players in their places. Jasper shot a large amount of agony towards me, it didn't feel good at all. Edward punched him gently on the arm.

"Remember I can feel that too!" he whispered.

"Sorry, just trying to help." Jasper whispered back.

The agony had already begun to works it's magic, I couldn't smile for the life of me. Edward's eyes flashed at the pain I wore.

'_I'm fine, just try not to look at me like that, try to avoid caring about my emotions, remember how you felt before I took you in the bubble. You were staring at me with a cold blank expression.'_ I thought all of this as I forced back the dry sobs that threatened to take over me.

Edward nodded and took a deep breath.

"Bella, don't cry, everything will work out." Alice's voice was high pitched and reedy, this was our cue, just as a director would have called action.

I let the sobs pull me apart as the agony worked it's way through my body. Jasper had stopped feeding me with it, but I grasped onto it, held it close so I would have something to work with. I conjured up memories of Edward leaving on my eighteenth birthday. I hit my payload.

Edward winced as I replayed the memories in my mind.

'_DO NOT WATCH THIS, Edward!'_ It was a command I knew he could follow, I knew he gave his siblings peace when they needed it, so I hoped he would focus on something else, something that would divert his attention from the torture I was placing on myself. I knew it was unfair to use this especially with him reading my mind, it was even a little too clear for me.

This was the only thing that could take me to the place I needed to go, the heartache I needed to display. I could hear the light footsteps approaching the house, and I threw myself into Alice's arms.

"What the hell, Edward. What's gotten into you?" Jasper's stern voice filled the room.

"Please, Edward . . ." I sobbed dropping to my knees, "Tell me what I've done wrong, I'll change it, I promise. Just don't do this." My voice was borderline hysterical as I collapsed into myself, the sobs coming freely.

Alice wrapped her arms around my shaking form and rocked me gently, making soothing noises. I knew she was glaring at Edward.

'_I love you, Edward. Remember, no matter what you see me thinking or doing, I am not angry at you, and I will love you eternally, We don't _have_ to do this, if you change your mind, let me know.'_ I was screaming at him from my mind, trying to hold onto the sadness and pain. I was getting more concerned about this, no matter what Tanya had done. My guilt ate at me, chipping away the corners of my resolve, I hated being so weak.

I looked up at Edward and he winked at me before retaliating to Jasper.

"Me, Jasper? what's gotten into me? You don't know me well enough to know where my heart lies?"

"I thought I did, Edward. I was obviously sorely mistaken. How could you do this to her, she gave up everything for you and you're walking away like it means nothing to you."

I tried to bury my head again but the scene looked so real, I could see both of their expressions as their voices snapped out at one another. It looked so real, Jasper looked as though he was ready to pounce. Looking up at Alice I could almost see real anger. Compared to these three, my acting ability was non existent.

"I'll agree, Jasper. It's . . . unfortunate, but I can't change the way I feel." Edward's voice was leveled but full of disgust. I had to make sure the bubble was still in place, it was.

"That's obviously a lie, you did about twenty minutes ago, Edward." Alice Screeched, she was huddled over me in a protective stance. "We were sat here having a wonderful time, reminiscing, then you go and ruin it by jumping up and asking where _Tanya_ is. What is that anyway?"

I heard the footsteps approaching the door and a quiet mumbling. Tanya was whispering to Soren, but the noise we were making drowned out the words completely. I buried my head into my knees and concentrated on sobbing.

"Why is it so damn hard for you to understand that I love Tanya, Alice?"

"Because twenty minutes ago you were in love with Bella. She was your entire universe, can you see where I would be a little confused?" she spat. She was definitely getting into her role now.

"Edward, please, I love you." I sobbed, my voice breaking perfectly with my forced sobs.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out, Bella. I thought you were the one, but being here, with Tanya, well, it made me realize what I was giving up, she loves me, I'm sure of that, I think she always has. It just took me a while to realize that I loved her too."

"ROSALIE!" Alice screamed at the top of her lungs, and then apologized under her breath to me.

"What? And What is all the yelling about? Have you lost your damn minds down here?" Rosalie shouted from the third floor balcony.

"I think Edward has." Alice hissed.

"Why does Bella look like death warmed up?"

I stifled a giggle at that and Alice pinched my arm.

"Edward decided he loves Tanya!" Alice said hysterically, "Just like that, out of the blue."

"Tanya?" I heard Rosalie float down the stairs, I moved my head until I could see her, she came through the room like a bullet, her blond hair was a blur behind her. She was in front of Edward when she stopped keeping her back to the door. She grinned at Edward before leaning in until her nose was almost touching his.

"What. The. _Hell._ Is going on, Edward?" Rosalie threw her hands to her hips and raised her eyebrows. "I spent almost three years trying to convince you to leave the girl alone so she could have a _normal_ human life. Are you seriously trying to tell me all of this crap has been for nothing, all the fights, all the heartaches? If that's so Edward, I disown you, I have accepted Bella into this family and Bella will always be my sister, and you . . . you . . . worthless . . . piece of . . ."

"Rosalie, watch your mouth." Esme was stood on the third floor balcony, I could tell by the echo, but I couldn't look at her. "Does somebody want to explain what this is all about?"

"_Your_ son, is a pig!" Rosalie said, her tone viciously calm.

I could hear some growls as they rolled around the room but I tried to ignore them. I was hoping they were still acting, the strain in their voices were so convincing, I could have picked them up in their voice from half a mile away. I heard the small movements outside the door and I moved my head again. This time I made sure I could still see, I just hoped that it wasn't obvious.

The front door of the house blew open and Tanya stepped in, her wild eyes scanned the room. I couldn't see her expression, Alice had covered me with her body again. her footsteps were quick as she moved around the room, her acting was on about the same level as mine, nonexistent.

"What is going on in here? I could here you carrying on from a mile away." Her voice was full of excitement, and I could tell she was attempting to cover it.

"There she is." sighed Edward, the sound was of strangled contentment, but I doubt Tanya noticed.

"Here I am," her voice softened. It made me cringe to think about what was running through her mind. Hearing the excitement in her voice had brought my anger to the surface, where it boiled and simmered. I could feel ever muscle in my body tense as waves of it ran through me. I wanted to scream at her, I wanted to hurt her.

I let out a wail and curled further into Alice. I was trying to calm myself down, all I wanted to do was spring at her, but Carlisle and Esme would never condone the violence. I tried to push my anger into the sobs, the result was my body shaking violently and small moans escaping from my lips. the noise was agonizing and quite pathetic, but I hoped it sounded genuine.

"What' the matter with Bella?" Tanya's voice was layered with false concern, and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to keep calm.

'_Bella's about to rip your head off your pretty neck that's what the matter with Bella is!'_ I though sarcastically.

I heard Edward's breath released in a large gust of air, he was trying to fight the laughter.

"She's upset with me," Muttered Edward, I could hear his foot falls as he stepped towards Tanya. His breathing evened out again.

"What did you do?"

"I realized my mistake of course, Tanya, it's always been you, I don't know how I could have been so naive. I've hurt Bella with my blindness, but I need to follow what I want, and that's you."

I kept my head in the nook of Alice's neck and let out a retching sob, it was funny how Edward's words helped me regain my composure, he never said anything about love, he only implied it. I hadn't realized it was the one thing plaguing me. I could get through this as long as he didn't say he loved her. Love, although not coming close to how I felt about Edward, still held too much emotion, too much purity. I hadn't loved much in my life, but those who I did love were more special to me than my own life. That's how the word defined it's self to me, that why the relief was washing through me.

"But, Edward." The smile was evident in Tanya's voice now, her words were sugarcoated with lust. I stifled a building growl.

"Yes, we know, Tanya, he's a pig, a dog. As far as I'm concerned he's _not _my brother!" Rosalie said, turning on her heel and approaching me. I could see her feet from the corner of my eye. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head. "It's okay, Bella. We'll take care of you."

"Edward?" Esme's voice was laced with concern now, she'd inadvertently become a pawn in this charade. I was worried that she'd been dragged into this, she was too pure to do something like this, but she was still here, I hoped that it was her way of supporting us. "This is so unlike you,"

"Esme, I can't help how I feel." Edward's voice was becoming rough, my thoughts were distracting him, and his words were chipping away at me. I had to get out of here.

"Of course you can't, Edward." Tanya added in a sighing tone. I visualized the punch I threw at Jacob in my mind. Edward chuckled.

This was my cue to leave. I gently unraveled myself from the tangle of Rosalie and Alice's arms and rocketed towards the stairs, I passed Esme and I was in my room within seconds, but I left the door cracked. I threw myself on the bed and listened carefully.

"What have you done?" Alice's voice was shrill with feigned concern, but it was closing in on me, she was following me. I concentrated on the bubble, I could still feel Edward within it's confines.

This was so wrong, there was no excuse for what we were doing, but I knew that most of my siblings wanted to test Tanya's limits, they wanted to know how far she would take this, and I couldn't deny I was curious. I tried putting myself in her place, but I couldn't see where she was coming from, I couldn't find it in myself to identify with her.

Alice slipped into my room grinning. She fell down beside me on the bed, her dainty body barely made a movement through the mattress.

"She's trying to make a decision." Alice whispered, her voice was so low I was barely able to hear it. this wasn't going to work, I had things to say, questions to ask. I looked around the room for something, anything to help me have an easier conversation, I pulled open drawers until I found what I needed, a pen and paper.

_**This feels wrong, Alice. **_

I handed the paper to her and raised my eyebrows, she took the pen from me and scrawled out a note for me.

_**I understand Bella, I do. Tanya is essentially family. I think this is definitely a low point for her, you just have to look at it as an opportunity for her to redeem herself. Seriously, I think she's questioning her motives, she sees how this is effecting our family.**_

I thought about that, maybe this _was_ her only redemption, maybe, if she changed her mind, Edward could play this off to me as a horrid joke, no that wouldn't work, Edward would never deceive me with such cruelty, maybe Tanya would come clean.

I took the pen from Alice and scrawled down my answer.

_**What if she doesn't, what if she keeps this up? At what point do we realize that she's gone past the point of redemption?**_

I passed the paper to Alice and she rolled her eyes. Looking at me she tapped her temple, and raised her eyebrows. I nodded, I understood, Tanya would have to make a decision, and Alice was looking for it.

I laid on the bed in silence and listened to the conversation that was going on downstairs.

"Tanya, you see the difference, don't you?" Rosalie asked.

"Rose, I don't know what's going on here, but you know how I have always felt about your brother, would you really deny me this happiness?" Tanya's voice was strained.

"If he wasn't married, no I wouldn't have a problem with this, but he _is_ Tanya, he _is_ married. To a girl he couldn't live without until, what, twenty minutes ago?"

"Rosalie," Edward's voice was stern.

"No, Edward. I don't want to hear it, especially not from you."

"Jasper?"

"No, Edward. I have already told you how I feel, and I won't be moved. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on _your_ wife."

"Wait for me, Jazz. This is making me sick." Rosalie's voice sang, her disgust rang clearly through her tone.

Then there was silence. It was almost deafening. My breathing hitched as I waited for someone to say something, but the words never came.

I heard the gentle footfalls of Rosalie and Jasper before I heard a word uttered downstairs. What was going on?

"Anything?" I mouthed silently at Alice.

She shook her head. I frowned. The silence was disconcerting and not knowing what was happening was beginning to worry me. I began drumming my fingers on the bed. The wait for anything was excruciating, my mind flew through several different scenarios, each one making me feel more angry, or guiltier than I already was.

Rosalie slid in the door and sat next to me patting my leg, her face was bright. Jasper embraced Alice in his arms as he stood in front of her. None of us could speak out loud because we would be heard. If we were going to say anything, it had to be about the situation.

Rosalie eyed the pen and paper and in one lithe movement had it in her hands. She wrote something quickly and handed it to me.

_**Carlisle is on the balcony, he's just staring at them. Tanya looks nervous, she hates upsetting Carlisle.**_

I motioned for the pen, but the silence was broken by Carlisle's even voice.

"Tanya, what's going on here?"

"I . . . Carlisle, I . . ."

Alice gasped and motioned for us to head to the balcony.

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**A/N: Okay, so I wrote this chapter out three times, I'm still not completely happy with it, but I would love to know your thoughts. However, the next chapter . . . All I can say is I had a blast writing it. I have a blast writing most of it really, LOL . . . confused, s'okay I confuse myself too sometimes. ;0)**

**Thank you for the Faves and Alerts and Thank You to THE REVIEWERS, SERIOUSLY GUYS, YOU ARE AWESOME, THERE WERE SME REVIEWS THAT MADE ME GIGGLE, LOVED IT! YOU GUYS REALLY ROCK!! THANK YOU.**

**BIG HUGZ - L -**


	11. Chapter 11

_**All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer.**_

_This is the Lemon, I wanted it to be a surprise, but just in case some are not comfortable I figured I should warn you ;0)_

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**Chapter 12 - Divinity**

We each filed out of the room and stood behind Carlisle on the balcony. Alice, on my right, and Rosalie, on my left, each held one of my hands. Jasper moved forward and stood next to Carlisle watching the scene in front of him. Esme was stood in the door of her room. I wasn't sure what Alice had seen.

"Well, Tanya?" I could tell Carlisle's patience was running out with this situation.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Tanya said, her hand came to rest on Edward's shoulder and a roll of anger worked it's way down my spine. I wondered if this was how Jacob felt when he phased. I couldn't stand to see her hand on my husband, the jealousy and anger mingled within me. Creating a tidal wave of pure venomous anger.

Carlisle frowned down at her, his eyes narrowed, as patient as he was, Carlisle could not tolerate being lied to. I wasn't surprised, lies were almost and insult to your intelligence. Carlisle, as forgiving and genteel as he was, could not abide having his intelligence questioned. I wasn't sure how much longer he would let her get away with this, perhaps that's what Alice had seen.

"Edward, well he's fallen in love with me." The lies spilled from Tanya, but her words were full of conviction. Had we not known the truth of the situation, she would have been quite convincing.

"How?" Carlisle's voice had the edge of a blade, and it was cutting. His eyebrows rose challenging her to lie to him again.

"Carlisle, I'm sorry, really," Tanya broke down, her eyes on Carlisle as her hand dropped from Edward's shoulder, she knew he could see what was going on, I was amazed she hadn't figured it out sooner. "I didn't think about the repercussions. I just, well, I . . . you know how I feel, I've spoken with you about it on numerous occasions."

"The repercussions of what?" I asked, stepping forward and glaring over the balcony, cutting off any response Carlisle had been about to give. I could feel Jasper's influence running through me, and I grasped it with two hands. It was borrowed confidence but I wanted to use it, I wanted to confront her. Edward was worth fighting for, and I would put every effort I had into it.

Tanya's face fell and she looked between Edward and I, Edward kept his face blank. He was wearing his poker face, one I knew well from my human days. I raised my eyebrows pushing her for an answer. I didn't want her lies, I wanted answers. Tanya stood looking disappointed and confused, she didn't say a word.

"I think Bella deserves an answer to that question." Carlisle stated, placing his hands on the railing of the balcony. "It didn't take me long to figure it out, Tanya. I know my son well."

"Bella, I'm . . . sorry, really, I am." There wasn't an ounce of sincerity in her voice, her apology was seemingly empty, I wondered what the point of it had been.

"For what exactly?" Rosalie asked.

"Look, I'm not proud of this, I made a bad judgment."

"Go on," I said. The authority in my voice was a shock even to me. The anger was rolling around under the surface of my skin, I'd had enough of these stupid games, I just wanted to go home. My throat burned now, the anger had created my thirst to increase exponentially, Edward had warned me about this. An abundance of emotions and anger drained my reserves.

Edward momentarily lost his poker face as he heard the thoughts pass through my mind. He was concerned, I had yet to lose control as a new born, my extra strength would make it hard for my family to stop me if I lost my temper. I didn't want to let them down like that, but I'd had enough of these lies.

"I asked Soren to fill Edward's mind with an illusion of love for me." she sighed. Her eyes moved over to Edward, they were filled with longing as he stood beside her.

I sighed heavily and tried not to glare at Tanya. At least she was trying to redeem herself, even if it was with persuasion from Carlisle. I looked to my family who were now surrounding me. I was hoping that the unity of our family would give me the strength I needed.

"Well, if you don't mind, _Tanya_, I would appreciate it, if you would find Soren and _reverse_ your little lapse in judgment." I tried so hard to keep the acidity from my voice. It was harder than I had thought, but the words came out sounding sarcastic, was that better than anger?

"Fine," she spat. She looked around the gathered group and headed towards the game room, where I knew the others had been listening. our raised voices would have been hard to miss. All of us stayed silent until the latch on the door clicked.

I was trying to be the bigger person, I was trying to be forgiving, but it was so much harder than I thought it would be. I think it was the nature of the lie that had made it so unbearable. if it was a wrong against me, I could have looked over it, but she had messed with my family, it was harder to find forgiveness for that.

"Redemption," I muttered, trying to convince myself to let her off the hook.

"Not really," sighed Alice. "She was forced into a confession by Carlisle."

Rosalie coughed back her giggle.

"Alice." Carlisle's voice reached us quickly, "Bella is trying to be forgiving, I really don't think that's helping."

"I don't think she should forgive her." Rosalie said squeezing the hand of mine she was still holding.

"Forgiveness is divine, Rosalie." Carlisle sighed.

My breath caught in my throat as his words hit me. For just a moment the world around me stood still, a memory, distant and long forgotten ran through my mind almost making me choke on the air in my lungs. It felt like a lifetime ago that Charlie had muttered the same words to me, yet it had only been earlier this year. He'd said it when I refused to forgive Jacob after he told me he'd rather see me dead than a vampire. The image was dull but I could still see it.

"Bella?" Alice's voice pulled me from my reverie. "You alright?"

I smiled weakly and my eyes met Edward's, I knew he'd seen it too.

"I'm fine, Charlie said that to me once, it reminded me of him . . ."

"Bella, I . . ." Carlisle started but I cut him off.

"No, no, Carlisle, don't apologize, it was just a silly memory."

Alice squeezed my hand gently and briefly rested her head on my arm. "He's fine, Bella. I check on him everyday." She whispered gently.

I kissed her inky black hair and smiled at her. I knew she loved Charlie, almost as much as I did. They'd developed quite a friendship in the years we'd been friends. I should have known she'd keep an eye on him for me, for both of us really. Charlie had a good heart, he was warm and loving with absolutely no idea how to show it, I knew it because I had inherited it from him.

The memory slackened my anger a little, but it was still there, a faint roll of thunder under my skin. I hoped I had more self control than to leap from the balcony and behead a family friend. Edward chuckled below us. I knew he was listening to my thoughts. I peeked over the balcony and grinned at him. I could do this, I could be the bigger person. That's what Charlie would encourage me to do.

I heard the footsteps before the door opened and I straightened up. Edward's eyes were still on me, the smile was gone and a slight tinge of remorse covered his perfect features.

'_Stop it, Edward. There is absolutely no reason to feel guilty.'_ I thought to him. My thoughts of Charlie had brought out his unnecessary anxiety about changing me.

Edward took a deep breath and faced the new additions to the room. I felt like judge, jury and executioner on the balcony. Edward was alone down in the middle of the living room with the barracuda and her illusionist. I tugged gently on Alice and Rosalie's hands.

"I think we should go down there."

Alice nodded, she'd seen my decision and I was sure she'd seen the reasoning behind it, so we made our way downstairs. Emmett appeared from his room as we passed, I was sure he'd been listening the entire time, but his acting skills probably made me look like an Oscar® winner. He followed us to the stairs, now all of the Cullens were assembled.

I hoped this wouldn't escalate into something more. I pushed all of the air from my lungs as I reached the bottom of the stairs. being on the same level seemed to bring things into perspective, but being so close to Soren, intensified the nudging around Edward's mind, I tried to strengthen the barrier,make the walls thicker. Edward's eyes flashed to me as my thoughts reached him.

Soren stood ahead of us as we crossed the floor, Tanya was at his side, refusing to look up. I still couldn't find my anger towards him. He was a stranger to us, one that didn't know our bonds, he had no loyalty to us. I was sure if any one of us had approached him he would have agreed, but I wondered what his price had been.

"Bella," Soren's head was held high as I stopped next to Edward. There was no remorse, but I never expected there to be. I felt an extra nudging at the confines of my protective barrier, but it was aimed at me this time. It seemed soren was still testing me.

Edward growled low under his breath and took a step towards Soren. My hand shot out and landed on his chest with a light thud, the intensity was enough to stop him from taking another step. It seemed obvious to me that Soren would try again, my defenses seemed to make them curious. Jane had also tried her luck again in the clearing, after the newborns had been defeated. It made sense that they would test my ability to withstand them.

"I apologize, Edward. Just testing." Soren laughed, his face was thoughtful. "What _is_ curious, however, is that your jealousy is aimed at the wrong woman. You should be drooling over Tanya. Not defending Bella from me."

I could hear the excitement in Soren's voice, he seemed pleased that we'd given him a challenge.

Edward shrugged his shoulders. His eyes darted to me and back to Soren. "It seems there were rather large holes in Tanya's plans." Edward said, carefully. I sucked in a deep breath as my thoughts processed Edward's words, but my mind came to only one conclusion . . . Oh crap! It was definitely about to hit the fan.

Tanya's eyes danced between Edward and I, she hadn't considered anything other than executing her plan. She'd been too distracted to notice Edward's coherency, even our terrible acting had fooled her. Well, the terrible actually only applied to myself and Emmett. The rest had been impeccable, as always.

"Holes?" Soren asked, curiosity lacing his tone.

"Tanya forgot our family's fortuitousness. We have many gifts, my wife has just added to that. It was quite a disadvantage for Tanya when she first forgot Alice's gift though."

Soren laughed heartily, "Of course, Alice would have seen the decision."

"Even with the knowledge beforehand, there was nothing to stop the situation from occurring. Tanya and yourself had already made the decision. So Bella tested herself, she wanted to help, luckily she found what she was looking for. She was able to stop it, but not before showing my family what Tanya was capable of."

Tanya shot an evil glance at me and her eyes narrowed in anger. I felt my surprise arise with my eyebrows. After everything she had done, she still had the audacity to hate me. I pushed the anger that was growing within me to the back of my mind. It was growing increasingly difficult to ignore it, but it wouldn't help to lose my tempter.

"So how exactly is Bella blocking this?" Soren's curiosity had taken over.

"It's the same way she protects herself, but she has found a way to extend that to protect others."

"Genius." Soren mused.

"I understand your fascination, Soren, but do you think you could stop your illusion now?" I asked, as glad as I was sharing my mind with Edward, it meant I had to control my thoughts, something I wasn't completely used to just yet. the nudging that had intensified since our little revelation was also becoming slightly distracting.

"Oh, yes, of course."

The nudging instantaneously disappeared altogether now, I took a deep breath and released Edward from the confines of my mind. The shape formed around my mind easily. I hadn't realized the effort it had taken to keep the barrier up for so long. I felt a little emotionally drained.

"Why, Soren?" I asked rubbing my temple gently, "Why would you do that?"

"I mean you no disrespected, Bella, nor you, Edward, but the only answer I can give you is that she asked. I had no questions to ask, I don't need to know the reasoning, she paid me well. As a drifter, I take my opportunities when they arise."

His answer didn't surprise me, he was a drifter, there was no reason for him to feel guilty about his decision, he offered a service and Tanya had paid his fee.

Silence filled the room as we processed what this all meant. It seemed, with this new information, Tanya had only just found her anger.

"How could you be so . . . so . . . _deceitful_?" Tanya spat, her anger was directed at Edward.

Edward laughed at the irony, I had to admit the woman had seriously lost her mind if she couldn't see the comparison in situations.

"And how would you describe _your_ actions, Tanya?" Alice asked, stepping forward to defend her brother, a dainty smirk planted on her lips. "You don't see _that_ as deceitful?"

Tanya growled menacingly under her breath, it was a hollow angry sound, it sounded like more than a mere threat and it created a reaction within me. I stepped forward, I didn't like that she was directing her anger towards my sister. My natural instinct to protect Alice was taking over, I could feel the tension building in my muscles. I could taste the anger on my tongue and it pulled my hands into fists, anger and defense of my family seemed as though it could be a deadly combination. I was close to seeing red. The gentle simmering under my skin exploded into the full furious force of undiluted anger.

Edward's arms snaked around my waist and he pulled me to his chest, as much as his touch calmed me, it did nothing to placate my anger this time. My eyes narrowed slowly and a growl arose in my throat. I wasn't alone in my reaction, Rosalie, now encased in Emmett's arms, was baring her teeth in anger. Tanya had gone too far.

Jasper stepped in front of Alice protectively, she didn't necessarily need protection, but each of us had an overwhelming need to defend her, it was in our nature to protect the members of our family unit. We would have done the same for anyone.

"ENOUGH!" Carlisle's voice rang through the room with stern authority. "No one is in the right here, Tanya, you should have never even considered this, let alone act upon it. I was shocked, I thought you were a mature woman with morals . . . And the rest of you took this too far. You should have confronted Tanya to begin with, when Alice had her vision, there was no need for this charade, we're all adults here. I have never been so disappointed in you!"

My anger fizzled out at Carlisle's words, he was right, and the rest of us knew it too. He wasn't going to let this divide the two families. I had to agree with him, in that, this world, still so new to me, had dangers that were above and beyond us. Coming together was one of our many defenses, we couldn't afford to be divided. As much as I hated it, I took the initiative. I still disliked this woman intensely, and I believed she deserved a good slap, but Carlisle was angry, and the situation was getting dangerously tense. I had to do something.

"Tanya, I am truly sorry we deceived you." I said swallowing my pride along with the acid that fought to fill my words. "I'm sure you appreciate where I was coming from, I was angry. I won't apologize for my anger, but I will apologize for the deception."

Tanya nodded, her features relaxed a little and she straightened her stance. Rosalie, Alice, Emmett and Jasper relaxed with her.

"I owe you all an apology." Tanya said, her regality reappearing, "I made a mistake in the heat of the moment. I was consumed by my jealousy. It won't happen again, and I hope that you, Edward and Bella, can forgive me."

I nodded, and I felt Edward do the same. The situation wasn't completely diffused and forgotten, but we had come to an understanding of sorts and a truce was being called. I doubted that Tanya and I would ever be friends, but we would at least tolerate one another.

"Tell me one thing, Tanya," Edward said, loosening his grip on my waist. My hands interlaced with his. "What did you expect to happen once Soren left, you couldn't have expected him to stick around forever."

Tanya shifted uncomfortably, her eyes met mine briefly, then shifted to the windows behind us.

"To be honest, Edward, as naive as it sounds, I hoped that the temporary state would make you realize that it was, in fact, me you wanted, I hoped that you would just need that push, that boost in the right direction, like I said naive, but it's what I hoped for, and it's the only way I know how to describe it. I honestly don't know what came over me."

Edward nodded, I was sure he was playing the what would of happened version of events in his mind. I could feel the contracting and relaxing of the muscles in his arms.

Soren watched the scene with a bemused smile, I was guessing that he had never seen anything quite like it in his travels. I could only imagine what this looked like to an outsider. A seemingly close family torn apart by unrequited love, how very Shakespearean.

An awkward silence fell upon us all. I wasn't sure what to say or do and it seemed as though everyone else felt the same way. No one moved. We stood this way for a while, some seemed lost in thought, others seemed uncomfortable.

I needed some air, I needed a chance to get the last of the anger out of my system, the room, as big as it was, had begun to feel claustrophobic to me, the slight irritation in my throat gave me the escape I was so desperately looking for.

"I think I need to hunt." I whispered to Edward. I hoped he would understand my need for escape.

His arms tightened around my waist as he shifted his body.

"I'm taking Bella hunting, we won't be long." Edward directed his comment at Carlisle, I imagined there was a silent conversation going on behind the words.

Carlisle nodded. This was the cue everyone had been waiting for. Each couple turned and began walking to the stairs, I had an idea that we would be leaving soon. The dust would need to be settled before we interacted as a family again. I was relieved, but I would miss the beauty that surrounded us here.

Edward guided me from the house, one of his arms stayed in place around my waist. His touch was a comfort to me still. I was worked up, my muscles were tensed, and the ability to relax had evaded me. The crisp air cleared my mind as we stepped out into, what felt like, freedom.

"That was intense." chuckled Edward, his arm moved from my waist trailing along my hip, he took my hand.

I nodded, not trusting my voice. I'd used up the last of my calm to apologize, and the little move Edward had pulled hadn't helped my train of thought. He took off into the forest with me at his side, the feel of my muscles bunching and releasing eased my tension, my anger melted away slowly. Edward kept his pace to where I could keep up with him. He was so much faster than I was, but he never pushed me, he was always so considerate of me, sometimes a little too considerate.

It was nice having my mind to myself again, I was able to think through the whole situation again and process my emotions without having to consider the fact that someone was listening in. It was comforting to know that I could speak to Edward in my mind when I felt the need, but for now, I needed the space to think.

We ran through the trees swiftly, listening for the gentle thrums of heartbeats. There were so many around it didn't take us long to find what we were looking for. We circled a small group of caribou, their hearts rang out loudly and the speed increased as they heard our footfalls come closer. My anger was gone completely now and gave way to the excitement. It grew, filling my entire being as I willed my feet to move faster.

"Race you to the biggest one." I sang out to Edward.

"You're on." he chuckled. I could see him applying a bit more speed.

We both headed towards the group at top speed, weaving in and out of the smaller animals. I could hear the quick paced thud of the largest male before I saw him, he stood above the rest even as he ran, his clumsy hooves hitting the ground with a rhythmic steady thud. I ran quickly, my body lowered itself to the ground for the pounce. My speed picked up as my body became more aerodynamic, I was so close.

My hands hit the ground and I sprang with all four of my limbs, the extra boost my arms gave me sent me propelling through the air towards my prey. I hit him in the side, the gentle crack of his ribs indicated my impact. His body hit the ground and slid to a stop, his legs flailing in the air as his body drug along the ground.

My teeth were at the vein in his throat before he had time to get up. The venom immobilized him as I drank.

It didn't take me long to drain the animal, the satisfaction of the kill and the ease of my throat as the liquid slid easily into my body, made me feel better, my entire body relaxed now. I took a deep breath and stepped away from the carcass.

I looked down, checking my blue sweater that Alice had meticulously picked out, I was getting better about spillage it seemed I had more flecks of blood than stains nowadays. I was surprised to see nothing, I hadn't wasted a drop, the blue was still blue. The euphoric feeling of sweet victory filled me. I had been trying to get it right for weeks, and finally, when I could have cared less, I succeeded.

I spotted Edward a little way away from me in the forest he had just finished the second largest caribou in the group. I grinned at him.

"Look," I said, my voice was full of musical laughter and pride. "No mess, I'm clean."

Edward chuckled and nodded. "Me too!" He laughed sarcastically.

I stuck my tongue out at him, laughing. I could only describe the feeling as elated. In this moment I felt free and so very alive, excitement coursed through me, the incident pushed aside for my celebratory moment. Edward's eyebrows raised, and with a large grin he fell into a crouch. It seemed he was in a playful mood just as much as I was.

I laughed out loud and took off into the trees, I heard Edward coasting through the air before landing after the pounce, but I was gone before he had landed. I was running with every inch of power that my legs afforded me, I was pushing myself forwards weaving gently through the trees, the wind blew my hair over my shoulder, my laugh trailed behind me. I had missed this playfulness, this freedom between Edward and I. I slowed down and listened for his footfalls, there was nothing but silence.

I giggled to myself, another wave of excitement flowed through me, I knew he was here somewhere, he was hiding himself. I slowed down to a walk and listened closely, I couldn't even hear his breathing. I'd either lost him or he wasn't playing fair. I leaned against a tree and listened to the breeze, closing my eyes so that my other senses would be heightened.

I felt him before I heard him, his hands ran down my arms as he stood in front of me, his breath bathed my face, filling me with his sweet scent, I couldn't have opened my eyes if I'd have wanted to, he was intoxicating me. His face buried itself into the curve between my neck and my shoulder as his hands clasped around mine. A soft sigh escaped my lips as his breath stroked my skin.

In one swift movement, he had my hands pinned to the tree above me, they were held in place by one of his strong hands. The other hand stroked my cheek gently.

"Open your eyes, Bella." his whisper was soft, gentle and full of love.

My eyes fluttered open, obeying his command, they drank in the magnitude of his beauty, his eyes, a warm gold from our recent hunt drank me in, they were full of every emotion that was running through me. He wanted me, just as much as I wanted him. Nothing was going to stop us this time.

His lips crashed onto mine with such ferocity I had to arch my body away from the tree to avoid contact with it, our lips, moving together with such intensity, sparked the fire in my soul. The flames ran through every avenue of my being as my body began to ache for him. My arms were still pinned above me and there was no sign of freedom, Edward was taking control, and it made me shudder with excitement.

His free hand moved from me cheek and slid down the side of my body, pure fire followed it's touch as it reached the edge of my sweater. My back arched pushing me towards Edward's body, he was like a magnet pulling me to him. I needed his touch, I craved it. His hands slipped lightly under my sweater, the feel of his soft, yet strong hands against my willing body sent electric bolts through me.

His mouth released mine and made it's way along my jaw, a soft whimper of pleasure escaped me as his hands danced up my stomach towards my breast. The anticipation of his touch and the fiery trail of kisses, had my body reacting without thought, my back fell against the tree to support me as my legs wrapped around his waist. The need was causing my entire body to shake and tremble, small explosions of joy sparked within me.

Edward's hand cupped my breast over the dainty material of my bra, and my body reacted reaching for him, a burst of breath escaped him as he felt my arousal. The tingling of the air on me had me gasping. His thumb stroked gently around the raised skin, creating a spasm of warmth to explode between my legs. The warmth traveled through my body shooting through my limbs and escaped as a moan. The pleasure was insurmountable, my hips bucked forward, searching for his body, it was an instinctual need now, I needed him, I wanted him, he was mine.

His hand left my breast and traced the skin against the line of the material, it traveled to my back, a fire following the smooth movements as it traveled. His eyes met mine as his fingers found the clasps. A fire burned in his eyes as his finger nimbly unhooked the material, with it's work done, his hand traveled down my back and across to my searching hips, he was teasing me. My tongue danced across my lips drawing his eyes to my mouth. My teeth pressed against my full lips, too gently to break the skin.

The desire in Edward's eyes was evident, the hunger of his passion was surfacing, I could feel his arousal as my hips ground into him again. The revelation stirred a new wave of excitement to course through me, a new wave of fire to spread throughout my core.

Edward's lips crashed against mine sending a shudder through me, my eyes fell closed at the feel of his gentle mouth against mine. His free hand ran up my stomach toward my recently liberated breasts, The sensation of his skin against my naked breast caused my stomach to pop in arousal. I couldn't think straight anymore, I wanted my hands released so I could touch him, but his control made this so erotic. His fingers teased my aroused nipples as they danced in circles around the tender flesh, I moaned freely into Edward's mouth, the noise amplified his excitement and his body was flush against mine pushing me into the tree, his hips rocked gently perfectly in time with his breaths.

The hand that was pinning mine above my head released it's hold, but my hands stayed in place, frozen by my desire for his control, his hand ran down my arms and continued down my sides, stopping at the edge of the sweater that covered my aching body. The hand that had held my breast met the other at the edge of the material. In one, swift motion, his lips were gone and the sweater and bra were over my head. His hand once again pinned the two of mine to the tree. I trembled lightly under his touch, his mouth was at my neck and his tongue danced across the skin, trailing paths of ecstasy in their wake. My hips rocked forward against him, finding his arousal again. My breath hitched in my throat as his hardness ran along my core.

Edward groaned at the feel of it, his free hand circled my thigh and pulled me further up his body, I whimpered in protest but the sound was drowned out by my moan as he took my aroused nipple into his mouth. My legs tightened around his waist as a surge of pleasure rocked my body. The heat between my legs was permanent now, it was a fire that could only be extinguished by Edward's touch.

My head fell back as his tongue explored my breasts, the movement caused my intimate center to grind against his rocky abs. The resistance caused a louder moan to escape, I had never wanted anything more than I wanted him at this moment. His hand, that still circled my thigh released me, but didn't travel far. His finger trailed a line of pure torturous pleasure along my intimately sensitive center, the sensation was almost too much, causing the area around his fingers to throb relentlessly, this was something only he could remedy.

I fought one of my hands free from his grasp, my fingers tangled gently through his hair as his mouth continued to explore my aroused chest, pangs of anticipation were formidable as the shook my body into waves of trembles.

My breaths were coming as pants, as the excitement drove me on. Edward's hand, still clasping the wrist of mine against the tree moved to interlace our fingers together. I squeezed on his fingers as a throaty moan escaped my lips. The sound pushed Edward on, his mouth left my breasts and met my lips again, My hand moved down his back and clawed the the material of his shirt, I wanted the barrier removed, I wanted my skin against his.

Understanding what I wanted, he released my hand from the tree along with the hand that aroused my core, I hissed at the loss of his touch, but my hands moved with his to remove his shirt. He pressed his bare chest against mine, the majesty of the moment took my breath away as my entire body shook is spasms of joy. Edward, feeling the same need as mine, wrapped his arms around me and cradled my neck. Our kiss deepened to new levels of intimacy, his tongue explored the plump skin of my bottom lip as my hands traced intricate designs on his back.

Simple touching like this was not enough for me at this moment, I needed him in the most animalistic way. My hands traced down his back and flowed out to his hips, they continued on up my own thighs and stopped at the buttons of my jeans. I popped the button. The sound pulled Edward's lips away from mine but when his eyes opened and they connected with mine it stole my breath from my lungs. I had never seen such intensity burning in his eyes before, the color of his eyes seemed to explode like fireworks around the dark black pupil.

My hands released the rough denim of my pants and cradled his face in my palms. My thumb traced his bottom lip gently as I studied the fire in his beautiful eyes.

"Bella," his voice was rough and husky with passion.

I nodded, knowing what he wanted, what we needed. My hands moved back down to the denim around my waist and I pulled the zipper down torturously slow. Edward growled, bringing a smile to my lips. My hand traced down my body to where our bodies were connected, we were once again matched perfectly and his arousal ground slowly against my heated center. My hand traveled up and down the length of him gently through his jeans. A throaty hum escaped Edward's lips, his eyes ignited at my touch.

My hands stopped the motion and molded to his shape, my thumbs traced the outline of him. A grunt filled the air between us as I teased him.

I let one of my hands leave his throbbing manhood and it traced up to his belt. I slowly pulled the excess leather through the loops until it was free of it's binds, I pulled it back on itself until the small metallic clink sounded indicating it had been freed from the hole, I slipped my index finger gently between the metal and leather and slid it apart.

Edward's hands released my neck and slid down my back until both hands held my plump cheeks in their capable palms. My fingers fiddled with the button that held the pants together, my eyes, still never leaving Edward's, the effect of them held me prisoner. I popped the button free with my thumb and index finger, the slow movement was making him impatient but he didn't rush me, he just continued to hypnotize me with his gaze, growling softly.

Edward's lips crashed onto mine with no warning, his tongue explored the inner confines of my mouth and danced gently with mine. The kiss was a distraction. I felt his hands fly to his waist as he unzipped his jeans quickly, one of his arms wrapped around my waist pulling me away from his body gently, my hands landed on his chest as my back ground into the tree behind me. I felt his pants slide away from us as they fell to the ground. Edward pulled me close to him again, but I needed the closeness to be more intimate, I dropped my legs from his waist and pushed down the form hugging jeans. His free hand moved to pull the fabric from me, but he never let me go. I was finally free of the constricting jeans and my legs once again moved around his waist pulling him closer. I felt his stiffness as it probed the skin around my womanhood.

A loud moan escaped my mouth breaking the kiss apart, but it was Edward's turn to tease me. He rocked his hips away from me, leaving the air between us. I moaned but it tangled with the growl of my frustration. My entire body was alive with electric waves, every inch of me tingled in anticipation for him.

Edward's body pushed me up against the tree, the rough bark fused the sparks that ran down my spine sending my mind spiraling into a wave of pure pleasure, his arm stayed firmly around my waist as his other brushed the strands of hair from my face.

My arms and legs pulled him towards me, my body crushed against his as he teased me again, I could feel his arousal as it danced around my willing center. The hand that had brushed the hair from my face led another trail of fire down my body stopping at my trembling thigh. He traced a line to the inside and let his fingers dance towards my tortured core.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head as the pleasure consumed me, I could feel Edward watching me but I couldn't focus, I couldn't function.

His fingers traced the outside of me and my hips bowed forward at his touch, my body wanted him, I wanted him, I was paralyzed by ecstasy as his fingers found my intimate self, he explored the inside of me creating snaps of electricity with the movements of his fingers, my pants and moans were mingling together creating a fusion of sound. There was a pressure building inside of me, one I couldn't explain, but I knew the release it needed. I needed Edward, I needed him to make myself whole, I needed him to fill the void that the pressure filled.

"Edward," his name filled the space and carried the growl I had released with it. The pain of wanting him was tangled in a complex stream with the pleasure he was allowing me. He knew what I wanted, he could feel the muscles aching for him.

"Bella," his voice was almost unrecognizable in this context, but it was something I would never forget, it was the sound of love and passion.

I opened my eyes and found his, I nodded, rocking my hips forward to get my point across.

"I love you," he sighed.

He entered me then, the full, throbbing, length of him filled me. I gasped and buried my head into his chest. He rocked his hips gently to begin with, his hardness creating a warm friction between us, the explosions of my body continued into a constant throb of joy. Both of his hands found my hips as his pace increased. My right hand tangled in his hair and the other grasped the tree behind me. My fingers dug into the wood as our tempo increased. The feeling of warmth as our bodies became one was overwhelming, the pressure continued to build inside of me, but it felt so right.

Edward pulled me into his chest and lowered me gently to the ground, we never parted as he picked up his speed, his hands found mine, his fingers interlaced with mine contracting and relaxing with our motion. My hips rose from the ground, willing him to go on, willing him to fill me, we were one in our movements, perfectly synchronized as we rocked. The friction increased with our speed sending another wave of pleasurable fire through me. My breaths were moans and my moans were breaths as we reached our peaks.

"Bella," Edward's strangled cry of my name, explained everything, I could feel the pressure peaking within me, clawing for release, my entire form trembled with the exploding jubilation. I could feel the heat running through my entire soul.

The release came and shook my body violently with the purist pleasure I had ever experienced, but it was not so violent that I didn't feel his release, he throbbed within me, a small shudder of pleasure shook him. Every muscle in his body tensed as we molded together as one.

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**A/N: Eh . . . What did you think?? This turned into my longest chapter ever. It seems I had a lot to say lol.  
**

**I know the whole Tanya thing was a little anti climatic, but . . . I swear it will al make sense!! So the Lemon, probably could have been dirtier, but to be honest I don't like lemons that come out sounding crass and emotionally detached, I wanted it to be about the emotions and the love they had for one another. i hope it came out that way.**

**Than you for the alerts and Faves, and of course, as always . . .THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS, YOU GUYS ARE SERIOUSLY THE COOLEST PEOPLE ON THE FACE OF THIS PLANET . . . YOU ROCK!**

**-BIG HUGS - L -**


	12. Chapter 12

_**All things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

_On a side note, there is a song I could totally imagine playing in the back of Bella's mind before this chapter starts, if she had an inclination to listen to this kind of music anyhow!! There's a link on my profile._

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**Chapter 13 - Self Discovery**

Our walk back to the house was quiet, but companionably so. I couldn't believe we hadn't done that sooner. I felt whole, complete and more satisfied than I had ever felt in my life. The fire in his touches, the explosions my body had produced, my whole world revolved around the man holding me, I had always known it did. He was my reason for living, and I would never get enough of him to satisfy that

Edward, holding me close to his side, had a small smile on his lips and he looked relaxed, more relaxed than I had ever seen him before. It made the satisfaction grow inside of me, I wanted it to always be like this. It felt as though everything we hadn't been able to say had been released in those moments, our bodies, molded as one, had declared every ounce of love we had for one another, it spoke in a volume so great neither of us could deny the message of it.

I watched him as we walked slowly, the fire that had filled his eyes had dimmed, but it had been replaced by the satisfaction. His satisfaction, our satisfaction. I wondered whether my eyes reflected that.

"I love you." I whispered looking up at his handsome face.

His small smile grew into the crooked grin that still stole my breath and made me giddy. "I love you, too."

He stopped and pulled me into his chest wrapping both arms around me. I melted into him, drawing in a deep breath that was filled with his scent. I was in heaven, and nothing could make me leave. As long as Edward was by my side, nothing else mattered. It was something I'd always known, he would always be home to be, he would always be that beacon of light calling me back. My lips curved as I realized I had eternity with this man, I had an eternity to explore him, to adore him. I was his, as he was mine, that would never be in question.

Edward pulled my face up to meet his, his lips, the same lips that had warmed my soul, met mine. My arms clung to him as the kiss deepened, the electricity ran through my body again. My body reacted to him as though it was the most natural thing on earth, my back bowed until I was molded perfectly against him. Edward's kiss broke away in the form of a smile. I could see that I was tempting him again.

"You, Mrs. Cullen, are the most perfect creature on the face of this planet, you make me happier than I ever dreamed I could be." He kissed my forehead lightly.

I giggled at that, but I knew exactly what he meant. The simple act of love making had removed the last of our inhibitions, our comfort level with one another was unwavering, we were one. With it came a strong sense of peace, a sense of completion.

"I definitely think I could get used to that." I sighed, running my hands down his chest.

"You and me both, love." Edward chuckled, kissing my forehead.

He tucked me under his arm again and we headed for our destination. We weren't too far out when Edward started to hear the thoughts of our family. I was ready to turn around and spend some more time alone with Edward. He still amazed me, his beauty and perfection extended to every inch of his body. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the company of our family, because I did, I love each of them intensely, it was the fact that this little fairytale Edward and I had experienced would come crashing back down to realty. I wasn't sure I wanted that just yet, it still felt so warm and so very new.

"Alice has packed for us, it seems things are still a little awkward here. Carlisle wants to get on the road as soon as possible." he chuckled. It seemed nothing was going to take away from our euphoria. I smiled at that.

"Well, I think I stirred up enough trouble for one visit." I mused. I still felt a twang of guilt about deceiving Tanya, but it was nothing some distance wouldn't remedy.

We entered the house through the front door, I was a little dubious at first, I wasn't sure what would be waiting for us, but we found the large room empty. I would miss it's beauty, and that thought alone brought back the fact that the home we were returning to, wouldn't be that for much longer. The Cullen's would never sell the house, it would stand waiting for us as a century passed, we would return as soon as enough time for no one to remember us had passed. Still, I had grown accustomed to the house, it was a part of Edward and I.

We escaped to the small sanctuary of our room, Alice had left us some clean clothes on the bed, I should have known, of course she would have seen the split second decision we'd made. I was too happy to feel the chagrin, it didn't feel like something I should be embarrassed about either, it felt natural, and oh so very right.

We showered together, trying our hardest to keep our hands to ourselves, the natives were growing restless waiting for us, they wanted to get on the road. I couldn't blame them, we all needed a little time to reevaluate. Things would get back to normal now that everything had been said, but time was needed to heal the small wounds our deceptions had left.

The water ran over us both, making our bodies slide against one another, it was definitely a new experience and one I hoped we would do more often. Unfortunately, now was not the time or the place for this, and as disappointed as I was, it made my excitement to get home escalate.

We dressed in silence, but neither of us could keep our eyes off the other, there was a new level of adoration between us, I knew, undoubtedly, that I could never get enough of this man, he was my past, present and future. A fact I rejoiced in. Every movement of his body was now erotic to me, the way his muscles rippled slightly as he moved hypnotized me, I longed to touch him, and I yearned for his touch. Was it normal to be so distracted?

"Alice is outside." Edward murmured, pulling me to him. "She needs the keys to the Ferrari so she can load the bags."

I nodded, in understanding, she was waiting for an invitation.

"Come in, Alice."

Alice danced through the door, her eyes were bright and a smile was set on her lips. I grinned at her, I couldn't help myself, the extraordinary high that filled me was still so strong. She winked at me as she stopped in front of Edward with her hand out.

"I'm glad you two finally go that out of the way, you were driving Jasper crazy with all those bottled up emotions." she giggled. "Not that I'm complaining. I was reaping the benefits of that"

"Alice!" Edward laughed, but there was no level of annoyance to his tone, it was filled with playfulness. I giggled lightly at the connotations. She grinned at me, winked and was gone. Edward ran his hands through his hair and kissed my neck again.

We left Denali unceremoniously, it was the best way to go. We said quiet goodbyes to Tanya and her family. Tanya had insisted upon apologizing again, but I could honestly say that it was over with. There was absolutely no point in dragging out any animosity, and Tanya had agreed. I hoped this would be a long standing truce between us. We were tied to her and her family in so many ways, parting in anger wouldn't have been a good thing. They were an unofficial extension of the family, it had been that way long before I had entered their lives, and I didn't want that to end because of this.

Tanya was still looking longingly at Edward when she thought I wasn't looking, but I had decided to push the emotions aside, if I overreacted every time someone looked at Edward lustfully, I would drive myself crazy. I tried to be objective and pushed the thought from my mind. it was difficult even with my good intentions.

The drive home was quiet, Edward and I were enjoying one another's company in silence. he held my hand and drew light circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. It was sending me into an almost trance-like state. My mind replayed the events in slow motion, my eyes closed as the images of Edward's hand on my body replayed themselves. my breathing increased a little as my mind wandered. How had we abstained for so long? And why?

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked quietly.

I grinned and extended my barrier to him. It made sharing my thoughts easier, I wasn't forced to trip over my word as I tried to verbalize my emotions. Edward drew in a long breath, but as he released it, I heard the unsteadiness. A smile spread across his face as his hand gripped the steering wheel. I watched the muscles and tendons flex under his skin.

I couldn't help myself, I started to laugh. The elation, as is built inside me was overflowing as pure joy. I laughed for a while, if I had been human my body would have curled in on itself and the pain would have stopped the hysterics, but this, it took longer to stop, there was no pain or ache to subside it as it shook me in my seat. I couldn't every remember feeling so light, so happy, so free.

Edward sat watching me silently, a bemused smile on his lips. it took a while, but the laughter finally subsided into giggles.

"I would ask you what that's all about, but I don't think you even know." he chuckled.

"I'm just so . . . happy." I sighed. "I can let you into my mind whenever I feel the need, and your reaction to my thoughts, I couldn't stop myself."

Edward picked up my hand and kissed my palm gently. "I'm happy too."

I grinned at him and relaxed into my seat for the rest of the drive. It would take us a while, but the soft leather hugged my form as I relaxed into it. When we pulled into a gas station in Prince George, I was finally back to my normal self.

Edward climbed out of the car and strolled around to the pump, there weren't many people around, but the car was drawing attention. I still hadn't been around any humans since my change, being in such a close vicinity made me nervous, I wasn't sure I was ready to test myself just yet.

A pair of men in their twenties were admiring the car, one was tall with dark hair, his facial hair was trimmed into a strange pattern around his lower lip. The other, not much shorter, was clean shaven, a tuft of jet black hair was visible from under his cap. I froze, another human memory ran through my mind. It was the same scene as the one in Forks, the two hikers had approached the car. These were two different men, but their faces wore the same awe. Edward, whose mind was still protected by my barrier, snapped his head up.

Alice was filling her Porsche at the pump behind us, knocked on the window to alert Jasper. She spoke under her voice but I could hear every word.

"Bella, stay in the car. They will come over." I knew what her warning meant and I tried to prepare myself.

I nodded to her in the mirror, her small form stood next to the pump. I could see the tension in her small body as they darted towards the approaching men. Jasper stepped out of the car and headed towards us. I could feel myself panicking, this wasn't going to help anything, I needed the calm, I needed Jasper.

"Jasper," I squeaked through a small crack in the window.

He nodded at me as he stopped by the cracked window, and smiled in encouragement. They had more confidence in me than I did in myself, I had been dreading this. I was so scared that my primal instinct would creep to the surface, that my urge for the blood they had pumping through them would call to me. My strength was still so new that it would take Edward and Jasper to hold me back, but I trusted them to be there if it's what I needed.

I felt the calm as it spread through me, it was just what I needed, my thoughts had been too frantic, I'd forgotten myself, I could do this. I had been preparing for this since I'd made up my mind. I checked the mirror again. Alice's body was leaning against the car gently, there was no trace of worry on her features, it was, in fact, the complete opposite, she looked relaxed. This gave me a small comfort.

The wind was thankfully blowing away from me so I didn't have to deal with the strength of their scent until they were a little closer. I could smell it as they stood at the gas station, there was no denying that. Edward had been careful to park downwind at each stop, it made the scent a little more diluted. His meticulous planning had paid off . . . until now.

The two men walked slowly towards us, their jackets pulled up to their chins blocking the icy breeze from their faces. Their eyes were plastered to the car as they made their way forward. Damn ostentatious car.

Edward chuckled at the fleeting thought.

"What's up, man." the taller of the two men called out.

"Is that a 599 GTB Fiorano?" the other asked.

Edward's eyes flashed to me and then back to the two men. I was holding my breath cautiously.

"Yes, it's my wife's car."

The shorter mans mouth fell open as he looked to me in the passenger side, his eyes stopped as he assessed me. Edward growled under his breath. I tried not to let out the laugh that was building in my chest. The situation was too tense again and the calm that was filling me made me a little more receptive to the hilarity of the situation.

"I don't want to be rude, but she looks like someone famous." The guy said quickly, backtracking.

I bit my lip. Laughing would mean breathing, breathing would mean smelling.

"Mmm Hmm." was all Edward could say, the thoughts of these two men were obviously not as polite as they actions.

I could help but giggle now, the sweet air filled my lungs as I inhaled. The taller man approached the car and his scent filled my mind, it was more deliciously tempting than anything I had come across, it flooded my senses causing the venom to gently trickle down my throat. The sensation aggravated my throat, the flames ignited causing the ache to multiply. I could hear his heart pushing the blood around his veins, that warm liquid, the liquid I knew would calm the burn in the back of my throat.

Jasper stepped in front of my window, distracting my train of thought. It was unusually tempting, the smell was so pure as it called to me, I could even hear the other man's heart gently pumping the liquid through his body. The desire to taste this was certainly present within me, but it was oddly manageable.

It called to me so loudly, yet I thought of them as humans, my subconscious would not allow me to think of them as food.

So, my body battled with my mind, the instinctual need like the devil on one shoulder, and my conscience like the angel on the other. It was so bizarre.

Edward laughed out loud drawing my attention to him.

"Very apt description," he said too quiet for the humans to hear.

I grinned at him. It seemed my preparation had paid off, I craved the blood, that was obvious, but my mind had created a cage for it, somewhere I could store the urge. I swallowed the rest of the bitter venom that had pooled in my mouth, it irritated my throat but I could wait until we were away from humans to hunt. I knew there would always be that temptation, it would always call out to me, but knowing I could cage it made t he burden easier to bear.

"Jasper," Edward nodded at me and grinned. "I think you owe Emmett some money."

Jasper stepped away from the window looking down at me. I felt him draw the calm away from me, but it made no difference, my conscience had won this round. I smiled sympathetically, and he rolled his eyes.

"I should have known. Bella, you are entirely too good at this."

"Aw, Jazz. You can't win them all." Alice said dancing over towards us. That's why she'd been so relaxed.

The two human men's eyes widened as she danced into Jasper's arms. Edward growled again, it was slightly different because it was his sister, but it was still a growl.

"I'm so glad I picked your clothes this morning." Alice chirped pulling open my door. "Come on, lets go powder our noses."

I froze in the seat, yes, I had abstained, yes I found it tolerable, but I really didn't think it was a good idea to push my luck, the thought of being inside a building with recirculating air, full of the scent of humans, made me nervous. i needed baby steps, but Alice seemed intent on pushing me into the situation.

"Alice, I . . ." Edward began to protest, but Alice had already pulled me from the car.

"Excuse us boys." Alice danced towards the gas station towing me along behind her. The two men were gawking at the two of us as we passed them. Alice giggled. my eyes searched for Edward's, I knew he would be just as worried as I was, he'd heard the thoughts as they passed through my mind.

"What was that?" I asked when we were far enough away from them.

"You were doing so well, but you still doubt yourself sometimes, I wanted you to see their reaction to you. I wanted you to see how beautiful you are to everyone but yourself."

"Alice."

"Don't say it, Bella."

"You have no idea what I was going to say," I laughed.

"Fine,"

"Thank you."

Alice's eyebrows practically hit her hairline. I laughed at her expression as she skidded to a stop. I had meant it too. She had always been so supportive of me, and she believed in me even when I doubted myself. Even as I had passed the two men on the way out of the car, their scent hadn't become unbearable, it still tempted me more than I wished it would, but it was was easier than I had thought to hold back on the instincts.

"Okay, against my better judgment, I'm going to ask. For what?"

"Believing in me, for helping me, and for being my best friend and sister all in one breath."

I was almost knocked over by the small woman as she threw her arms around my waist. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her spiky head. She danced out of my embrace and pulled me towards the gas station.

I was still nervous about the confined space and the overwhelming human scent, so I kept my mind connected with Edward's so he would know if I lost control. As we stepped inside, I held my breath. There were a group of men, who very obviously drove trucks, sat along a counter. There were a few people in the store picking up snack and drinks. Each of these people froze as we entered. Their eyes widened as their gazes followed us through the building.

"Breathe, Bella." Alice said too quiet for someone else to pick up, I shook my head.

"Seriously, you'll be surprised."

I let out the air in my lungs before dragging some back in. The air stung as it passed my throat, the scent was stronger within these four walls, and it was being recycled throughout the building. Yet, the stifling thirst and the instinct to pounce on the closest human passed the longer I breathed the air. Alice laughed lightly and pulled me towards the womens bathrooms.

When we came out of the gas station, after a lot of primping from Alice, there was a small group around the car talking animatedly. It seemed the car was a huge draw, I couldn't say I was surprised, I think it was more ostentatious than most of the Cullen cars put together, except perhaps the vanquish.

Edward was in his element talking car, and I watched him as Alice and I slowly made our way towards the group. His eyes instantly met mine. He'd heard my thoughts as I still had the barrier snugly protecting his mind. I didn't feel embarrassed that he'd caught me admiring him. In fact, it was quite amusing to watch his eyes widen in shock. It seemed the group had noticed his silence and their heads turned to watch our approach.

The smell of the group hit me quickly, I was downwind from them and the large collection of men were giving off a tantalizing smell, I tried to push it away, the smell was so strong, my mind began giving way to my imagination, and what a picture my imagination painted. The warmth of the bodies as they trusted my approach, my teeth sinking lightly into the flesh. The relief the liquid would bring as it slid down my throat extinguishing the fire in my throat.

"That's your wife?" I heard one of the newcomers whisper to Edward, if he only knew I could hear him. I was glad he had spoken, he pulled me out of my twisted fantasy and brought me back to the reality in front of me. I watched as Edward eyed the smaller man in front of him Edward nodded, but the slight smile left his face. The man had obviously thought something Edward didn't want to hear. I was glad I didn't have his ability, I would have probably committed a couple of murders by now, I knew by the way women reacted to Edward, I would not want their thoughts. I had never considered myself the jealous type but when it came to Edward . . .

"Well, we should be going." Edward said stiffly, he pushed past a couple of men and opened the passenger side door for me.

I stepped through the small group as they parted for me, I didn't know what these men were thinking, thankfully, but I decided to have some fun. I drew Edward's face to me and pressed my lips firmly against his. It wasn't a flashy kiss, and it didn't have a particular amount of depth to it, it was simply for show. I stepped away, kissing Edward gently on the neck before I slid into the car. Edward chuckled and moved around to the other side, the Mercedes and M3 were waiting for us by the exit.

The small group of men stepped away as Edward climbed in and started the engine. The back of his hand ran lightly across my cheek and his thumb grazed my lips. He grinned at me as my eyes met his, he pulled away from the pump a little faster than he normally would have, but I allowed him that, he was having fun.

"That was interesting," he commented as we pulled back onto the freeway. "Your mind paints a vivid picture, Bella. I was worried for a second you would lose yourself."

"I probably would have if he hadn't spoken, I think if I am planning on spending time around humans, I need to focus a little better." I laughed.

"It happens to us all, love. You're doing remarkably well, I'm proud of you."

I grinned at him and pulled back the protective barrier so I could think, it was a little distracting having to keep my awareness of it in the back of my mind, and I didn't want Edward to hear my thoughts until I had decided what I wanted and how to get through it . . . what I wanted was to see Charlie.

I knew Charlie would see the differences in me, the paler skin, the strangely colored eyes, the perfection of my exaggerated features, and the temperature of my skin. I just needed some way to play it off, I needed an excuse so that he wouldn't be suspicious.

The last thing I wanted was for him to be in the situation I had been in with the Volturi, the situation I had placed myself in, but I hoped that I could still see him, hoped that he would accept me for who I am now. It had been almost a complete month since I saw him last, I had supposedly been on my honeymoon, and then vacationed in Denali. Surely he wouldn't question the difference too much, people could change a lot in a month, couldn't they?

Even if I saw him just once, that would be enough. I wanted to say goodbye before we left, because I knew that I couldn't play off my lack of aging. Maybe I was being selfish, I could, perhaps visit him after a couple of years and play off my differences as aging.

I was beginning to get frustrated with myself, seeing Charlie would only make it harder for me to leave, it would make it harder for him too because he would know something had changed. Seeing the change would cause him to worry and speculate, I was so much like my new family now, he would become suspicious.

The internal struggle must have showed because Edward finally broke the silence between us, he must have noticed the disappearance of elation from my face as it gave way to my confusion.

"Bella, love, what's the matter? I can almost see your mind working."

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"Charlie, I'm trying to decide whether it would be a good idea to go and see him before we leave." I sighed, looking out the window, trying to hide the mass of emotions as they passed through me.

"You're the only one who can make that decision. It may be hard for him to understand the differences in you though."

"That's what I was thinking, but my most selfish side craves the goodbye."

"Bella, I'm . . ."

"Please, don't say you're sorry Edward, it would cheapen what we have, and I'm the happiest I've ever been. This was my choice, this is what I've wanted, and I have never been so sure about something in my life."

Edward stroked my cheek with the back of his hand, his eyes were full of an emotion I wasn't familiar with.

"I always knew this would be the hardest part, I prepared myself for it. I just never expected to be comfortable around humans so soon."

"I don't think any of us did." Edward chuckled. The sound lightened my dark mood.

I tried to avoid thinking about it after that. It seemed like a mistake to dwell on it for so long, Edward and I didn't get much time alone and I was wasting it on errant thoughts. I tried to just enjoy the time we had alone. We spoke about the new arrangements that my resistance would afford, he was still think along the lines of Dartmouth, but I wasn't sure I was that ready. We threw around the idea of attending a high school again, it would maximize the time in the new location, but I still couldn't be sure how I would react in an atmosphere like that, it almost seemed as though it would be tedious for everyone to repeat high school, again.

Our conversation soon gave way to our thoughts, mine revolved around the options we had, and how comfortable I would be in each.

We arrived back in Forks long after the darkness had shrouded the endless green, with our sight everything was still so clear, but the shadows had become darker and the Jades and forest green's had become darker shades of themselves. I would miss this beauty.

It seemed rather contradictory to me, I had hated Forks for most of my life, and here I was agonizing over my loss of it. So much had changed since I had made the decision to come to Forks, that was a slight understatement, but true nonetheless. It had been the best decision I had ever made, I shuddered at the thought of never making that decision because I could no longer imagine my life without Edward in it. He was the natural course of progression for me, almost as though I had been born just to find him.

As we turned onto the driveway I began committing every image to memory, I wanted to remember this, I wanted to hold this in my mind until we returned. The beauty of it has always amazed me, but my new eyesight had added so much more depth to the beauty, I truly appreciated it now.

The house was dark against the frame of the trees, it's usual bright white was grey in the darkness, it looked so lonely, the absence of the lights warm glows made more difference than I could have ever imagined. I fought to keep back the memory but it flooded through me, that one day, after school, I had craved to hear his voice in my head and I traveled here alone, the house had been so lost in the overflowing grass and then the emptiness that had emanated from it because of the lack of life within it's walls. I shuddered lightly pushing the image back, I was torturing myself.

The small convoy of cars pulled into the garage, the relief was evident on everyone's face as they climbed from their seats, but the relief didn't last for long, as we approached the house the scent hit us . . . someone had been here.

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**A/N: Sorry I posted this later than normal . . . sorry. It's not an exciting chapter by any means, but I needed this to happen so the story could progress.**

**Thanks for the alerts and faves and, of course, Thank you . . . TO THE REVIEWERS, YOU GUYS ARE . . . AWESOME, REALLY AND TRULY, THANK YOU FOR READING, YOU GUYS ROCK!**

**BIG HUGZ - L -**


	13. Chapter 13

_**All Things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer**_

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**Chapter 14-Convocation**

There was chaos surrounding us, everybody seemed to lose their heads at the same time, the hurried words, the speculation, it was hard to think. It was almost as though as situation like this had never happened before. Everyone was speaking in raised whispers as they speculated. Carlisle, as always, was the only one calm enough to process the meaning of it.

"Calm down." His voice echoed around the cavernous garage. If the person the scent belong to was still around, they would certainly know of our arrival now. "Does anybody recognize the scent?"

Each of us went silent, I didn't even draw in the scent, I wouldn't have recognized a thing even if I had. The only vampires I had ever met as a vampire myself, were surrounding me or relaxing in Denali. I would be useless. Rosalie was the first to make a sound and it presented itself as a feminine snort.

"Irina." she scoffed.

"What? Why would she . . . Oh, crap!" Edward's realization seemed to hit everyone else as the words came to him, even me.

"The wolves," the words fell out of me with a gust of air. My entire body shuddered once at the thought, whatever the outcome I was sure it would be disastrous.

Edward took my hand and pulled me towards the house, I wasn't sure whether she was still here or not but the fury burning within me hoped for it, if anything had happened to the wolves . . . I couldn't think like that, they were too important, if one of them was lost it was my fault, I didn't care if they thought they could look after themselves, I should have tried to protect them. I should have known what Irina's absence in Denali meant. I hated being so easily distracted. Now though, my thoughts were trained in a straight line, and it was torturous.

My mind was running away from me, what if she got to Jacob? My breaths stopped and a stabbing pain ran through me, he was so stubborn and so angry, he wouldn't care if he got hurt. The fear flooded me as I followed closely behind Edward.

Little pangs of anger and concern filled my body as we fled into the living room. I crashed into the back of Edward as he stopped abruptly, My chest came into heavy contact with him, a thunderous crack came from between us as our bodies collided, the sound of the crash filled the room reverberating from the walls. I could feel the vibrations as the bounced past us. My ears rang with the noise, it was so much louder with my sensitive hearing. I looked around Edward to see what had stopped him so abruptly. There, sat on the couch, petite and blond, was Irina. Fire flooded my body.

With the ringing still in my ears, my other senses intensified, and I could smell it, the smell of werewolf shrouded the room.

"What have you done?" growled Edward. His face was contorted with rage.

"Nothing . . . I . . ." Irina stuttered, I could finally hear her now the gentle ringing diffused into a light buzz. Now I could hear something in the room, something I hadn't expected, a heartbeat, thick and wet as it thudded along.

"She didn't expect so many of us." The voice came from behind me, it was the owner of the heartbeat, I turned quickly, and there, beside the piano, was Jacob.

My body filled with relief at the sight if him, my anxiety fell from my body, and without thinking it through I flung myself at him, wrapping my arms gently around his waist as my mind processed his human form. I laid my head on his broad chest and listened to his heard thudding against his chest. His smell was strong but I was anchored by my palliation. His body went rigid, but relaxed as his arms wrapped around me. I didn't realize just how worried I had been, but here, with him in front of me, heart beating and blood coursing through his veins, I felt the mitigation sooth me.

"Jeez Bells, you stink . . . bad. What's with all the drama?" Jacob sighed as he embraced my hard exterior.

I realized my mistake then. Me, a vampire, had just thrown myself at a werewolf, our enemy. The wolves may have been our natural enemy but Jacob was my best friend, nothing would change that, no matter how complicated things got.

"Oops, sorry." I mumbled, I went to step away but his arms didn't release me. His large heart thumped against the ear I had against his chest, it didn't sound human, it was fast, like an animals, and the heat emanating from him was a little uncomfortable.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Jake."

Jacob stroked my hair gently, but when I spoke I inhaled his scent again, it was strong and a little more potent this close. His smell was probably as bad as he made mine out to be. I crinkled up my nose and forced my way out of his arms, I kept a smile of reassurance on my face as I looked up at him, he seemed even taller.

"You don't smell so good either, sorry Jake." I sighed, taking another step back.

Jacob and Edward chuckled, but I couldn't be relieved yet, I still had friends that could have been hurt by this thoughtless vampire. I looked around to Irina who was sat on the couch looking confused, she hadn't expected us to be quite so relaxed with the wolves. As far as her and her sisters were concerned it was merely a truce, it seems Tanya hadn't explained to Irina that there had been wolves at our wedding. Why would she have?

The rest of the Cullens filed into the room, after checking out the rest of the house. Carlisle immediately made his way over to Irina. Esme as by his side. Emmett punched Jacob lightly on the arm and Rosalie snorted in disgust. It was strange how divided we all were on the subject of the wolves. There were members of our family that considered the wolves friends.

I headed towards Edward again, my eyes still on the small blond on the couch.

"Irina," Carlisle's authoritative voice rang across the room. "I think you should explain what you're doing here."

"She came to kill the wolves." Edward sighed, accepting me into his arms. Jacob stepped forward to my other side. He grinned down at me.

"She had a bit of a shock when ten wolves surrounded her." Jacob chuckled. "We noticed the yellow eyes, but we knew you'd left the house. So we figured we'd bring her here until you came home, we weren't sure if she was a member of your family. She was on our land, Sam didn't take too kindly to that, but Seth and I asked him to give it a week. There is always a patrol around the house. She's tricky. She also has a mouth like a sailor."

Irina growled at the chuckling Jacob, I was sure they had exchanged a couple of words.

"Who else is here?" I asked, I hadn't seen, smelt or heard anyone else, but then I hadn't really been paying attention.

"Leah, she's circling the house now, she was in here in her wolf form to protect me while I spoke to your friend here. She left when she heard your cars. I should tell her to head home. I know she doesn't like being here. It makes her uncomfortable. The others are making wider circles around the land, they weren't sure whether or not she's alone. It's had us tied up for days." Jacob stepped away from me. "I'll be right back."

I nodded and watched as Jacob left the house through the front door. Leah hated me, I'd known that for a while now, I didn't need to be a genius to figure it out. She had always left when I entered a room, when Jacob left and I called Seth for updates, if I'd been lucky enough to get her on the phone instead, I was promptly hung up on. I couldn't blame her really, I had hurt one of her brothers, she'd seen it as the same kind of betrayal she had suffered when Sam imprinted on Emily. It wasn't something you forgot easily, and unfortunately it made her bitter. I understood, not that she would ever know that.

My mind wandered to the rest of the wolves patrolling around the rest of the Cullen land. It was strange to think how things had changed. There was a time when the wolves and Cullen's wouldn't put a toe on the others land. Now they crossed freely. Of course the Cullen's always asked permission, even though Sam had given them the freedom to cross any time.

The silence in the room, drew all eyes turned back to Irina. She sat in the middle of the couch, she was a little more relaxed now that the wolves had made their exit, but there was still a level of discomfort. Something in the back of my mind was screaming to be released but I couldn't access it, I couldn't connect the dots to unlock that spot in my mind. What was it that seemed so out of place?

"What were you thinking?" Esme asked sitting next to the woman on the couch. The conversation drew me from the inner sanctuary of my mind. "Irina, even if there had been only three wolves, you would have been killed. You were on their land, they had been perfectly within their rights to kill you. You were lucky some of them consider us friends."

"They killed Laurent." Irina's small body shook briefly with grief, but her words were coated with acid as she spat them out. Her grief didn't last long, she gathered herself quickly and turned the grief into hate. Edward was quicker though.

"Irina, I have asked you never to utter than name in my presence. I will not ask again." Edward growled. "He tried to murder a member of this family, doing a favor for a female who he traveled with."

The room filled with silence as the aggravation and anger became palpable. Irina's eyes were filled with fire and hatred as they turned to Edward and I. I knew that she couldn't help who she loved and my heart went out to her, the heart wants what the heart wants, and there was no way for her to have known Laurent's motives. Yet here she sat defending him after the fact.

Immortal love was so different compared to the love of a human, Edward and Alice had explained it to me, but only since I had been turned into a vampire myself did I understand completely. Irina could not be held accountable for Laurent's actions, she simply loved him.

"He didn't deserve what happened to him, Edward." Irina hissed through her teeth.

"He tried to kill, Bella, he would have succeed had it not been for the wolves." Alice snapped stepping forward, she took the empty space Jacob had left. "Irina, I understand that you loved him, but you cannot justify his attempts at murdering a member of our family."

"He told me he would come back," Irina's response came as a barely audible whisper. I could see the pain that enveloped her, her eyes met her twisting fingers in her lap, I could see the misery and the pain had not eased at all.

I wanted to help, but I didn't know how, I was sure she held me responsible for her love's death, but I couldn't hold the wolves responsible, they had saved my life that day, they had secured me this future. I wanted to be angry she'd come here, but I couldn't find the emotion. Her actions were out of love.

"Someone should call Kate or Tanya," Rosalie said, stepping forward. "She'd told Kate she was going hunting, Kate was beginning to worry when I said goodbye."

"Good Idea Rose, do you mind?" Carlisle asked. "I would like to talk to Irina."

Rosalie nodded her head and disappeared from the room. Emmett followed her silently, Carlisle's request had been a silent requisition for us to vacate so he could speak with Irina. I knew that she would feel awkward with so many of us around. So, the rest of the family disappeared slowly, Edward and I left to talk to Jacob.

I needed to get away from the situation for a while, I couldn't decide what emotion to hold onto. It still seemed so strange to me, and there was still that errant thought in the back of my mind, gnawing away at the wall that surrounded it. What was trying so hard to get my attention?

I could see Jacob in the trees ahead of us, his back was to us, and a slight form stood in front of him. He was talking to Leah, so Edward and I stopped and waited for him. We tried to be respectful and stay out of hearing range. Leah was still weary of us, so we often kept our distance. Especially when she was in human form like she was now.

"Edward?" I asked, kicking at the grass that danced around my ankles.

"Yes, Love?"

"Are you finding the things that are happening . . . um, unusual?" I felt like such a conspiracy theorist. I couldn't find anything that would explain exactly what was bothering me.

Edward frowned lightly and wrapped his arms around my waist. I fell into him gently and closed my eyes as the sound of his breaths echoed through my mind.

"I have to admit, this all seems to be happening at once, but I think it could be an odd coincidence. I just think that Irina saw her chance when she knew we wouldn't be here. Carlisle has tried to dissuade her repetitively. She doesn't seem to understand that getting killed by the wolves will kill her family. Tanya and her family will not let the death of their sister go so easily, if Irina was killed by the wolves, they would seek revenge, four against the ten wolves . . . well, lets just say they will not make it out alive, but they would make sure they were not alone. The wolves would also suffer a loss."

I shuddered at the thought of a fight like that, I had seen enough violence for a lifetime, what with the army of newborns, Victoria, Laurent, James, and the Volturi. Each of these had called for me to sit out, I was the weak human that had brought all of this upon us, but could do nothing to help fight back. Now, I could help, I was no longer Lois Lane, if it came to it I could defend myself and my family.

I just hated that the wolves continued to endanger themselves, especially when it came to doing favors for me or the Cullens. The incident with Irina had been, as far as I knew, the first time that trouble had crossed over onto their land. Victoria had been over the line but she'd never gone looking for a fight, she would cross to avoid my family.

I was lost in my thoughts for a while before Edward broke the silence. "Have you made a decision on whether or not you want to go see Charlie?"

"I haven't thought anything more about it, so much has been happening." I sighed. "I still don't know though."

It was true, since getting out of the car everything had been moving so quickly, the scents, Irina, Jacob, my mind hadn't stopped since we'd been home. I would give it more thought before we left, but for now, I wanted to get this situation taken care of. What this situation was exactly, I had no idea.

"Will Tanya have to come and get Irina? Or will Carlisle trust her to travel home?" I asked, my fingers were tracing the lines of the muscles on his chest.

"I'm not sure, I've never known Irina to act so irrationally, but I think she'll go alone. Her thoughts were so full of confusion."

"Grief does that to you." I sighed.

A howling in the distance stopped our conversation from progressing any further. The sound brought a sharp line of ice to form down my spine, it sounded so familiar to me. My eyes shot towards the direction of sound, it came from the forest, a little to the east, towards town. My eyes trailed the forest line,but Jacob and Leah disappeared into the trees, leaving shards of clothes falling behind them. Something about that sight brought a chill to the place my heart hung uselessly.

"What now?" I asked Edward, pulling myself tighter towards him.

"I'm not sure, they were humans when the howl came, when they were phasing they were running, they weren't close enough to hear their thoughts anymore." Edward's eyes scanned the dark tree line. "Maybe we should go inside for now."

I nodded in agreement but my eyes stayed on the spot that Jacob had disappeared, what could have them moving so quickly? Edward pulled at me gently, his arm was wound around my waist. I was hoping the howl had just been a call to get their attention, but something told me things would never be that simple. The instinctual chill that had hit me told me it was something serious.

The house was silent when we entered, Carlisle, Esme and Irina were still in the living room, Irina had her knees pulled to her chest with her chin resting upon them. Carlisle and Esme were sat on either side of her. Carlisle's face was creased with worry, he'd obviously hear the ominous howl as clearly as we had.

Edward's arm tightened around my waist as we headed farther into the room. This wasn't where I wanted to be right now, the sadness that now consumed Irina stirred old emotions inside of me, it brought back the tumultuous agony of memories passed. I felt an overwhelming need to comfort her, yet I knew she wouldn't receive me well. Mixed in with the anxiety the wolves had just instilled in me, I couldn't stay in the room, it was like a blanket of dread that filled me.

"I'm going to go and see Alice," I whispered to Edward, I knew he could help, but with me in the room it would be difficult.

Edward kissed the side of my head gently and let me go, his eyes scanned over the three in front of him, he was listening to their thoughts. I left the room slowly and took the stairs quietly, my mind worked through what had just happened and the howl echoed through my head. As soon as I was out of their sight I sped up, I was hoping Alice could distract me..

Alice's door was closed, but I could hear the music playing inside, it was her favorite song. I could hear her singing along to it, I wondered if Jasper was in the room. Her small voice hit all the right notes as the song progressed.

"Come in, Bella." she called to me as an instrumental began in the song. Of course she knew I was here.

I smiled and opened the door, one day I would be able to navigate through this life without forgetting to incorporate the gifts of those around me. I made the decision to come and talk to Alice, I should have know she would be waiting for me.

Jasper was laid on the couch, a thick book in his hands, he looked relaxed and comfortable in the dimensions of his own room, he smiled at me without taking his eyes from the pages splayed before him. Alice was dancing around the desk, she had wads of color swatches laid out, and there was a large pile of material swatches beside them. She was swinging her hips in time with the music.

"What are you doing?" I fell gently into the desk chair as I spoke.

"Trying to find a color scheme for our new room. I want something fresh, bright and colorful. I already have yours picked out, you want to see?"

I laughed once and nodded, of course Alice had everything planned out, it was what she did. No matter what task you threw at her she was painstakingly meticulous in her choices. She would pick colors and schemes that reflected your personality. She always seemed to get it right too.

She held up two swatches, "Okay, seeing as you are newly married, I picked a brown, it's a unifying color, and then this color," She pointed at the other swatch in her hand. "Now you may not see how they will work, but believe me, they do, the turquoise is a calming color, and I think it will do you and Edward a world of good." she placed the two swatches and a plethora of fabrics in my lap.

She was right, the colors strangely worked together, and the effect was very comfortable looking, and the fabric she had chosen would add the chic the colors were missing. I fingered the fabrics gently, they were blended well together, it was soft but not too soft, thick but not too thick. She was a genius. It was never a color scheme I would have put together before but I liked it.

"Excellent." Alice laughed gathering the samples from me. Jasper chuckled from the couch, he looked over his shoulder at us. I winked at him.

'So, Alice. I'm sure you know why I came to talk to you."

"I do, but you know that the wolves impair my vision."

"Well, had you seen something before that?" I sighed. "Have you seen any other visitors come to Forks?"

Alice frowned a little, I could tell she was concentrating. 'What do you mean?"

"I just feel nervous, I don't think anything's wrong, not really. It's just that . . . I guess the howl spooked me a little."

Alice smiled at me sympathetically and patted my hand. She looked over to Jasper, "Calming colors, I told you."

Alice and Jasper laughed lightly, I knew I was being paranoid again, but I couldn't stop this nagging feeling again, was this all a part of being a newborn? I was so suspicious of everything, Tanya, and effectively Tanya's affection, Irina and her sudden need for revenge, and the a simple wolves howl.

"I'm sorry, it's just after everything that's happened the last couple of weeks . . ."

Alice cut me off. "Bella, this is not unusual, you have so much more room in your mind to speculate now, we all went through it at some point. You were right about Tanya, but you can't let your mind run away from you, it's just one of the things that has strengthened, you have to learn how to use it again, process your thoughts."

I nodded, I could see where that would make sense, my mind held every image I saw, every conversation I had heard, every memory, every smell, every touch. Of course my mind would find conflicts where there were none, all I had to do was apply the situation to an emotion stored in my mind, and how very easily it could be the wrong one.

"Thanks, Alice, Jasper." I got to my feet, I needed to process all of this so I could get back on track.

"Bella," Alice picked up my hand as I stood next to her. "I can't see the outcome unless you make a decision, but I really don't think it would hurt Charlie to see you like this, it's funny how we can ignore things when it concerns the ones we love. Whatever you decide, it'll be the right thing. Now is, not really a good time though. He just went out on a call."

I smiled and kissed Alice lightly on the cheek, she had answered a question I hadn't been able to ask without taking away my choices. I would always appreciate how much Alice did. She knew how to make me feel better without making a huge production out of it. She'd made it easier for me to make my decision.I wanted to see Charlie, and I wanted to go before we moved.

"Thanks,' I whispered, I let her hand fall and I strolled slowly to my room. Everything felt so heavy at the moment, there was so much pressure. I needed a release, and I knew just what would help. The wolves howl was playing havoc on me, I couldn't get away from the foreboding feeling that filled me when it echoed in my mind. I took a deep breath and pushed the feeling aside, I would cross that bridge when I came to it. I danced to the door and knocked gently.

"Come in," The deep gruff voice reached me and I let myself into the room.

"Hey, Bella." Rosalie's voice was light and airy as she curled up into Emmett's side.

"Hi, I was wondering, Emmett . . . would you show me how you hunt bears?"

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**A/N; Oh how I wish I could show you what is happening in my head . . . I won't spoil it for you. So nuff said ;0) I know there are somethings that are unexplained in this chapter, and I really am not completely happy with how it turned out, but it's . . . oops can't say it, it'll ruin the surprise LOL . . .  
**

**Thank you for the alerts and faves, and thank you, of course, to the . . . REVIEWERS, I LOVE HEARING WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY, YOU GUYS ROCK!!**

**-BIG HUG-L-**


	14. Chapter 14

_**All things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

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**Chapter 15 - Waylay**

Rosalie's laugh and Emmett's chuckle were drowned out by a strangled cry. I wasn't sure who made it. I had never heard anyone make a noise like that. My body went numb. I couldn't move. Rosalie and Emmett sprang from the bed, I followed quickly, something was wrong, something was terribly wrong.

The sound, coming from Alice's room, was amplified by a howl in the distance. I froze, Alice couldn't see the wolves, what had she seen that they would be upset about? I went to move forward to Alice's room but strong arms pulled me into a strong chest.

"Bella," Edward's voice was strained and it filled me with dread. I could hear the uneven breaths that pushed the words from his chest, the slight wavering in his usually level velvet voice. What had just happened?

The howling grew closer, it was a painful sound that was so ominous to me, I had heard it in different contexts, but this sent chills through me, not knowing was even worse, my mind made up excuses for the sounds. The strangled sound from Alice's room grew into sobs.

"What's going on?" my voice came out as a panicked shriek.

Edward said nothing, but his grip around me tightened. I struggled to get free, what had Alice seen that had caused her to create such a sound? I needed to know, but Edward's grip grew tighter the more I struggled. This sent me further into panic, why wouldn't he talk to me, why wouldn't he let me go?

"Edward, let me go."

He said nothing and continued his hold on me. Rosalie came from Alice's room, her face looked horrified as she approached us, she said nothing and her arms encircled Edward and I. The silence and horror of the situation was sending my mind down horrified avenues. Why wouldn't anybody say something, their silence screamed volumes. What the hell was going on? Five seconds ago we were planning a hunting trip and now, here I was, between two mourning vampires, but what were they mourning?

Alice's small figure was beside me in an instant, her form shook delicately as her arms encircled my waist, but my arms were trapped within Edward's embrace. I wanted to scream and fight my way out if this, I felt as though I was being consoled, but why? What had happened? Why was Alice so upset?

The howling was outside the house now, it was more than one wolf, there were howls mingled with snapping jaws and growls. Edward's body stiffened even more around me and his arms became constricting. This was too much for me, and not knowing was making me angry. I writhed and wriggled trying to free myself from the three sets of arms, but they were stone around me, unbreakable and solid as they constricted me.

"What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On?" The words were clear but distorted as the slid through my teeth. I was was dangerously close to the edge and I wanted answers. I could see the three of them exchanging glances around me. The seemed to fuel my fire even more, what weren't they telling me?

My panic and anger mingled violently within in, it fogged my brain, I couldn't even speculate now, I could think in a straight line. They were hiding something, something they thought I would be devastated about.

"Bella," Rosalie's voice filled the silent void I had been suffering, her voice was full of emotion I couldn't read. "It's charlie . . ." her voice broke away unable to finish the sentence, the sentence that felt like the end of the world, I didn't want to jump to conclusions, I couldn't, but i felt each of my muscles coil, my throat thickened, a scream built.

"Go on," my voice sounded hollow and devoid of emotion as I tried to hold onto my sanity.

"He's . . . been taken."

The words didn't sound right in my ears, the howling outside was distracting to me, I wanted to breathe in and out but the fear in me stopped the action. Had I heard her right, he had been taken? By who, or what, and why were the wolves making so much noise? I couldn't think, the howls and snarls filled my mind, bouncing around in my head blocking any thoughts I tried to form.

"Taken?"

Alice's delicate sobbing shook her body again. I wanted to comfort her but my arms were tied to my side. I looked up at Edward, his face was cold and emotionless.

"Emmett." I called the name of the one person I knew would give me the truth, he wouldn't hold back in fear of scaring me.

He appeared through the door of Alice's room. Jasper was directly behind him looking distraught. Emmett's face was not the usual cheerful smile he wore. He looked just like everyone else, pained, worried, distraught. Not an emotion I was used to from him.

"Emmett, please, what's going on?"

"Alice?" behind me I heard Carlisle's voice but the prison of arms that surrounded made it impossible to turn and look at him, had Esme and Irina followed him? I prayed he would ask the right questions.

"Edward? What's going on?" Carlisle's voice was calm and collected and it cleared my head a little. I struggled for freedom again.

"Charlie," Edward's voice created a gentle vibration in his chest, my head leaned against it gently, it was the only way to console him, my hands were still welded to my sides by the three body's that were crushed against me now.

"Charlie was taken by the Volturi, it was Jane, she lead the deception. Someone reported a child alone on the side of the road and Charlie responded, it was Jane, she convinced him to follow her to where the others were waiting." Jasper said calmly.

My panic subsided into an anger I didn't know I was capable of. My veins boiled with the emotion as it rolled off of me in waves, Jasper's eye caught mine. I knew what he wanted to do, but I couldn't let this go, I needed it, it was fuel to the fire of hatred I had for the Volturi. It stopped the pain from knocking me into an oblivion, it kept me coherent.

"The wolves?" Esme asked, her voice cracking.

Everyone looked to Edward now, but he still looked catatonic. How much worse could this get? My neck prickled violently as Jacob's face passed through my confused mind. A roll of cold fused through my spine.

"Edward, the wolves?" Carlisle's voice grew louder as he approached. My body began to shake violently with the anger that took control of me now, I wanted to be let go, I wanted to follow the V ollturi. I would take them down one by one myself. Alice's grip tightened as she saw my decision, Edward's arms pushed my arms tightly into my side, he'd seen it through her mind.

"Sam's dead!" Edward's pained growl filled my ears with fire, my head pounded against my skull, it couldn't be true, I wouldn't believe it. The fury once again drowned in my agony. Sam's face, not as familiar as my other wolf friends, passed through my mind. I couldn't believe he was gone, it wasn't fair, how, why, poor Emily, poor Leah. I wanted to scream, I wanted to fight, I wanted to do anything but stand here doing nothing.

A slow murmur filled the room as the information sunk in.

"How?" Carlisle's voice was a mere whisper, almost drowned out completely by the fire in my head.

"He picked up the scent along with Charlie's, he tried to help, he went in alone, Charlie was long gone but it was too late, they'd set a trap, there were too many of them. The wolves couldn't get to him in time."

A gurgled scream filled the room, it took a while to realize it was mine, this was my fault, this was all my fault. Charlie was gone, Sam was dead, this was all on me. My scream cut off, I couldn't think anymore, I could barely function, the arms around me felt suffocating, I needed air. My body wouldn't react to my commands, I told my body to move but it was frozen as I fell limply against Edward's chest.

"Bella?" Edward's voice was full of concern as his eyes grazed over me. I couldn't feel my body, I could only feel the pain as it ate through my being. I was numb, my limbs gave way below me.

"This is my fault," I whispered, "This is all my fault."

"No, Bella." Alice was sobbing now, her head was resting against mine as her body shook. "Aro took your dad as a bargaining chip, he wants us all, dead or with them. His hunger for power did this, not you."

"_I led them here!"_ my voice was fading with the pain of my thoughts.

"No, Bella." Edward's voice was full of rage. "If anyone led them here it was me."

"Charlie," it was the only word I could push from myself as the foggy memory of his face filled my head, I should have gone to him, I should have kept him safe. This was all my fault. "Charlie."

His name became a mantra in my head as I tried to imagine him with the vile creatures. The fusion of emotions was becoming entirely too much to handle.

Rosalie and Alice loosened their grip on me and stepped away, my body now released from the vampiric cage gave way, my numb legs felt nothing as they crumpled below me, Edward's arms were still around me and he pulled me into him cradling me against his chest. His forehead felt like fire against mine as he muttered my name torturously.

Poor Sam, poor Emily. What had I done? I should have been protecting Charlie, why him, why had they taken him? He knew nothing of this world, or the dangers that came with it. The Volturi were breaking their own rules, but why, if they wanted us, they should have come for us, why did they kill Sam, he was protecting my family. My mind clouded over as the unanswered question and confusion clouded every inch of it. The intensity of the emotions seemed to create an internal pain. I knew I should be doing _something,_ but what?

"Bella!" Jacob's voice ran throughout the house, it seemed he no longer cared about who lived here or what I was. I heard his feet hitting each stair as he followed our mourning. He growled at something as he reached the top of the stairs, but I didn't have the strength to look, I no longer had the strength to feel. It felt as though my world was crashing down around me. I was happy, before this I had been happy, was this punishment for finding that and grasping at it with every fiber of myself.

Jacob was at my side, his hot hand picked up mine, I forced myself to look at him, I had done this, I deserved to bear his suffering along with mine. His dark eyes were tortured, and glistening with tears as they bore into mine, his face was twisted in pain, his dark eyebrows were furrowed deep in the center of his face.

The silence that surrounded us was deafening, there were no noises anymore, the birds ceased to sing, the river refused to gurgle on it's path, the wolves were silently mourning the loss of their Alpha. Jacob's heartbeat was the only thing standing out in the silence. It pounded slowly as it processed the pain.

The hand of mine that Jacob was holding reached for his face and cradled it. I hated seeing the pain etched across his features. His warm cheek burrowed into my hand and his eyes closed. He didn't shy away from the coolness of my skin, he welcomed it. Edward shifted my weight in his arms and placed a hand on Jacob's shoulder. In this sad moment, we were a family, a strange, disjointed family, but we were together in our grief.

"Bella, I'm so sorry, I promised to protect him." Jacob's thick voice was laced with pain and unsounded sobs. It was tortured. "It should have been me, I promised to protect him . . . Sam . . . he was doing my job, it should have been me."

His words broke me, and my body shook, the tearless sobs took control of me as I laid in the arms of the man I loved, and held the face of my best friend. The grief shook me until every part of my body trembled uncontrollably. How had this happened? I wished for the darkness to consume me but there was no release from the pain, I would be eternally aware, nothing would give me the release I needed.

No one said anything, no one moved. We were frozen here. Alice's sobs grew once again beside me as she reached for her enemy, Jacob welcomed her consoling, his large arm wrapped around her tiny form as she shook.

It took a while for us to regain composure, my sobs subsided eventually and my mind unfroze. We were all sat in a group on the floor. I was in Edward's lap but I was gripping onto Jacob's hand, not enough pressure to break the bones, but I knew he could feel the strength of it. Edward's head was buried into my neck. His grieving had been just as intense as my own. As always he blamed himself, and it had quadrupled the guilt that was eating at me. I had something to hold onto though, Charlie was alive, and I was planning on keeping it that way, I refused to let Sam die in vein. He gave his life to save my father, I would do the same. As long as Charlie was alive I would bring him home.

"Alice," my voice was thick, ragged, and rough from the sobs and the pain.

She was now holding Jasper to her, when had she moved? Her face met mine, it was full of grief, Charlie was her friend too, she was taking this just as hard as I was.

"What are they planning on doing with Charlie?"

"I don't know," she sniffed. "They haven't decided. They took him back to Volterra. I think they will keep him alive until we make our move, they want to see what we will do."

"We need to make contact, I will not let Sam's death be in vein. We're going to keep Charlie alive." My free hand brushed Edward's hair gently.

The gentle caress of his breath bushed against my neck, alerting me to the fact that he'd been holding his breath, for how long, I was uncertain.

"I didn't see the decision," muttered Alice, "I have been keeping an eye on them, I knew they would want to make sure we followed through, but there was no decision, not even to come here. I don't know what happened."

Edward lifted his head and watched our sister as she frantically searched her memory for a vision that never came. He reached a hand out to hers, picking it up gently.

"Alice, I don't think it was Aro's intention to begin with." Edward sighed, "He knows how your visions work, I'm sure he kept himself out of the loop purposely."

"I would've seen _that_ decision though." Alice sighed, placing her head in her free hand.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Emmett asked.

"_We're_ not doing anything." I sighed. "I will not let you lose your lives over this. I am going alone."

"No!" Edward growled. "I _will_ come with you."

"Edward," I couldn't stand the thought of him ceasing to exist because of me, but I knew it was a pointless argument, he would not let me go alone, and he would not live without me.

"Bella, you know where I stand."

I nodded in defeat and kissed his forehead gently.

"Then, I'm coming too." Jacob's voice was dark and thick with emotion.

"No!" my voice was hard. "You will not die because of this Jacob, you are the Alpha now, you need to stay with your pack."

"Bella . . ."

"No, Jacob!"

The air in his lungs released in one long, frustrated motion. He wanted vindication, but I would not let him die. We were so much stronger than him, and if I could get Charlie out alive I would. Jacob being there would make that difficult and his anger would get him killed.

"You can't stop me from coming with you." Emmett's voice had lost the gentle nature that usually filled his jovial tones, he was just as angry as the rest of us. It seemed in accepting me as a member of the family, they had accepted Charlie as well.

"Of course you know that includes me." Rosalie said, her usual pessimism was gone, it was replaced by a stubborn defiance. She would not let Emmett from her sights and she would protect her family at all costs.

"Me, too." Alice said, huddling closer to Jasper.

"That includes me." Jasper said, his eyes were on Alice.

"I think that you will have us all by your side." Carlisle said, I knew that he was counting in Esme, because she would not stay alone without us.

As much as their loyalty warmed me, my guilt was too heavy a weight to bear. I closed my eyes, wishing for a release, but I knew that they would be watching me now, they knew I wouldn't be happy about their involvement and would wait for me to make my move.

"I can't . . ."

"Mind's made up, sorry." Emmett said, a flash of defiance passed through his eyes.

"Jacob . . ." I whispered his name quietly. His eyes met mine and tried to read what was behind the crimson irises. "I need you to look after yourself, you need to lead the pack, you're their Alpha now, and they're hurting. You need to go to Emily, she'll need your strength to get through this. Do you think you can do that, can you look after yourself while we're gone?"

Jacob nodded.

"And promise me Jacob, promise me you will not follow. I will not lose another friend because of this."

Jacob's head fell to his chest and his body shook gently. I crawled from Edward's lap to comfort my friend, I was stood on my knees beside him, my arms wrapped around his broad shoulders. Without warning his arms were around my waist and he was pulling me to him, his head buried in my neck as the sobs finally took control of him. I held him, letting him cry against me, it was all I could do.

Edward eyed me apologetically and laid a hand on Jacob's shoulder.

"Jacob, Leah is asking for you . . . Screaming would be more accurate, but she's upset, and she needs you, they all do."

Jacob's arms slackened from my waist and he pulled his head from my shoulder. He knew what he had to do, he had to be strong for the pack, for Emily, he was the Alpha, the chief of his small tribe. He had responsibilities beyond his years, but I knew he was born to do this. He was strong and wiser than he gave himself credit for.

"You can do this." My hands gripped his shoulders as his eyes met mine. "You need to help your family grieve."

Jacob's tall frame rose from the ground. His towering height was even more intimidating as he dug for his strength. He had so much responsibility on his young shoulders and I couldn't help but feel like the cause of this pain and necessity.

"Come and say goodbye before you leave."

"I will," I whispered.

Jacob strolled down the stairs and disappeared through the door. Edward's arm supported me quickly from behind, he was so much stronger than me, he held me together. He was the only thing keeping me going.

"We need a plan." Carlisle said levelly.

I leaned my head back on Edward's chest, I was trying to drive the images of my family being destroyed from my mind, they'd made up their minds, they were willing to stand with me, but the thought of losing them was too much, and it hurt more than I could ever imagine.

"Irina, you should head back to Denali. I would appreciate it if you told Tanya and the others what is going on."

I looked around and noticed that Irina was sat quietly with her back against a wall. Her eyes were wide as she evaluated the scene in front of her. I knew that our unity with the wolves was something she didn't understand.

"This is a suicide mission." she whispered quietly. "Even if Bella's father knew nothing about our world before, his interaction with the Volturi would secure that fate."

I growled angrily under my breath, I didn't care that her words made perfect sense, I didn't care that she was the only one to look at the situation objectively. I just heard the connotations, she was telling me Charlie was already dead, it would be his fate, there was no escaping that.

"Bella, please. Don't misunderstand me. If I were in your position I would do the same thing, but there is no way you can walk out of this with your father as a human. The only way he will be allowed to leave is if he is an immortal, or he is dead."

I was on my feet in a moment and I had Irina's small form against the wall in one swift movement. Her feet dangled from the floor as I held her against the wall with force. Edward was behind me, his body molded against mine as he tried prying my fingers from her throat. He was making hushing sounds under his voice but my growls and snarls were drowning him out. I felt a sudden hate for this woman, if she hadn't of been here, the wolves wouldn't have been preoccupied and forced into making their patrols thinner, they would have been traveling in groups instead of alone. Sam could have had backup, he could have won.

I knew it was wrong to place all the blame on this small grieving vampire but my head was full of conspiracies and she was the only one wearing the target.

"Why are you really here Irina?" My voice was like a blade as it cut through her. I could see the fear in her eyes as they widened at my accusation.

"I . . . Bella, I . . . I wanted revenge, but when I got here the need wasn't as great, I had put myself into the position you are in now. My thoughts were purely of Laurent and my love for him. The wolves have stayed so close to me in fear that my revenge would be directed at their humans. I never would have hurt them, I realized that as soon as your friend spoke with me, but they insisted on keeping guard until you returned. It was a lapse in judgment."

My body froze and my hand opened. Irina landed on her feet in front of me but she didn't move, my sudden change in demeanor had confused her. Those words, they rang in my ears like an alarm but I could process their significance. What was the connection?

"Bella, love?" Edward's voice distracted my train of thought as it brought me into the present. My hands were still up in front of me, but were empty of the acquisition. Irina watched me carefully, her amber eyes full of confusion.

"Did I say something to upset you more?" Irina asked, her eyes flickered briefly to Edward.

"I'm sorry, Irina." I whispered. "I don' know what came over me?"

"I can be abrasive, I apologize." Irina was still eyeing me curiously.

"Bella, what are you thinking?" Edward's mouth was level with my ear.

"It sounded so familiar . . ."

"What did? Bella, your confusing me?"

"It's nothing," I sighed, my mind refused to cooperated, the puzzle pieces were refusing to come together leaving a gaping hole in the center of the pieces. "How are we going to do this?"

Edward relaxed a little but guided me away from Irina. The rest of the family were staring at me in disbelief and Emmett was struggling to keep a smirk from his face, I was sure my display of violence had amused him. It wasn't enough to reach his eyes though.

"I think the most effective route would be a direct response to this atrocity. I think it would a good idea to walk in their as a united force. They may have more players, but we are protected with Bella. They won't be able to penetrate our minds unless we let them." Edward said, his usual velvet tone made me a little stronger.

"Can you project to more than one person, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"I've never tried." I whispered.

"Do you think you could?"

Knowing that this was our greatest strength, I had to try, I couldn't see it hurting.

"Just try two for now, we'll add more if you're successful."

I nodded, "Who?"

"Try Alice and Jasper for now. We'll use Edward's ability to test the accuracy."

I nodded and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and visualized Jasper and Alice where they were stood, I pushed my protective barrier towards them with as much concentration I could muster, I was trying to ignore the nagging that plagued me. I felt them as soon as I had succeeded.

"Edward?" I whispered, opening my eyes.

"Nothing, they're silent."

"Okay, Bella. Try adding Rosalie and Emmett." Carlisle said smiling encouragingly.

I concentrated on the four of them with as much strength as I could. There was some tugging within the fabric of mind, but I tried to strengthen the substance as I stretched it out. I knew as soon as I had been successful, I could once again feel them extra people with clarity.

"Nothing." Edward said rubbing my shoulders gently.

Without being asked I extended the barrier to Esme, Carlisle and Irina. I used Irina to make sure that I could cover the eight of us together and still think straight.

"Silence, I hear nothing." Edward mused.

Covering so many people was a little uncomfortable, but I wanted to make sure I could hold up the barrier as long as it was needed. A dull thud in my mind began reminding me of a headache, but there was no pain, just a slight throbbing. I could live with that. If it protected my family I could most certainly push the sensation away. I was sure, once we were under pressure, my stubborn side would strengthen the walls and remove the discomfort. It wouldn't protect us from physical attack, but if my only use was to protect them from animals like Jane, it would be worth it. I just needed to practice as much as I could before we got there, I needed to strengthen the barriers so that when the time came, we would be a brick wall against their mind games.

Then the barrier snapped and cradled only my mind again.

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**A/N: I know, I feel horrible, I can't believe I did that, I had two chapters wrote out, one with Emmett taking Bella hunting and the other, well you just read it lol. If I wrote Emmett and the bear, it would be short and more of a filler chapter, also the howling that pulled Jacoba nd Leah from the meadow would be confusing. Poor Sam, I actually like him as a character but . . . pff I feel bad!**

**Thanks for the Alerts and Faves and of course THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS YOU GUYS ALWAYS SAY THE NICEST THINGS . . . AND, OF COURSE . . . YOU ROCK!!**

**-BIG HUGZ-L-**


	15. Chapter 15

_**All things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer**_

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**Chapter 16 - Peregrinate  
**

My family's safety depended on my ability to keep the barrier between them and the Volturi, that first time I tried it didn't last long, the strain in my mind tugged until the edges fell gently back to the edges of my own mind. It frustrated me, I knew it shouldn't take much effort, I tried building up the strength of the walls that I projected. It worked but I could only keep that level of intensity around eight people for a short amount of time.

I was worried about Charlie, but I couldn't throw us into this without our best defenses. I tried with everything I had to make it stronger to keep the boundaries up longer, but I would tire easily. I pushed myself beyond my own limits. I couldn't leave Charlie there alone with those bloodthirsty monsters. I couldn't and I wouldn't.

It took us only three days to get things in order so we could leave, they were the longest three days of my life, each second tortured me more. Edward suffer right along with me as I kept the barrier up as much as I could. Of course this set my guilt screaming again, but I couldn't stop myself, I needed to go I needed to be in action.

I practiced every chance I got, I was keeping the barrier up longer now and I was able to keep it up longer that I thought was possible. I hoped to keep the barrier around them from the moment we left Forks, in the last couple of days I had been relentlessly working up to this moment and I wasn't going to let them down. I wasn't going to let Charlie down.

We were sat silently on a flight to New York, it was eerie how similar our path was to the one Alice and I had made, too similar. Edward held my hand tightly as we took off. It was still difficult to be in confined spaces with humans, bearable, but difficult. Luckily my mind was elsewhere, it was on the task at hand, the reason we were in this confined space. Charlie.

"You're doing great, Bella. But why don't you just take a break. You've kept it up for so long."

"I can't, I want to keep you all protected until we land in Forks again, it's turned into a need. I've been so worried about this, I know what the guard is capable of, I know what Jane is capable of. Knowing that Alec's is even more powerful scares me. I don't want to leave anyone vulnerable."

Edward pulled me into his side and kissed the top of my head gently. Taking so long to leave had made me so anxious, Jasper was almost a constant companion. My fear revolved around Charlie now, how could I get him out of this with his mortality? I had taken every path laid out in front of me but I had found none. The Volturi liked their rules, even if they had broken them themselves, they would throw it in our faces and insist that we follow the only natural course. I refused to believe this, immortality would not be a choice Charlie would want, he'd had so much turmoil in is human life, but he liked it the way it was. I had no doubt he would know the path I had chosen, it would be hard for the Volturi to keep that from him, it would be his . . . No, I would not think about it like that.

The thought of Jane with Charlie made me shudder, that evil little cherub child. I had never felt the pain of her attack, I never wanted to, I just hoped I could say the same for Charlie. He was strong in so many ways, yet so humanly fragile against our kind. It seemed so unfair that everything I had worked to keep from him had just been thrown in his face by the very people I thrived to protect him from.

"Why did they do it?" I asked confused, I had been over these thoughts so much in my head and I still didn't have an answer, and the annoying little nagging was becoming relentless. "Why Charlie, why us? It's not as if they know I have a gift, so why would they come after us?"

"Like Carlisle said, Love. Aro's intuition is rarely wrong, he is sure you will have a gift, he also wants Alice's gift too. He needed a human as leverage, but a human we cared about. He must have known how much Charlie meant to us all."

I pulled my legs up on my seat and wrapped my arms around them, my body leaned into Edward for support. I had kept this particular barrier up for over twenty four hours and it was becoming less of a burden. My mind seemed more excepting to my manipulation, I doubted I would have a problem with consistency much longer, but I wouldn't take the chance and let it fall now, I would keep it strong, and in place until I was sure we were no longer in any danger.

"How do we get him out of this alive?" I whispered biting back a severe sob that threatened to break me.

"I don't know . . . I wish I had a better answer for you."

I lay my head on his shoulder gently. I wasn't the only one who was anxious, the whole family was worried, but never for themselves, they were worried about Charlie, they had confidence in my shield enough to not fear the onslaught of the impervious talents the Volturi and their guard possessed. They simply worried about Charlie's mortality and my sanity if by some horrible chance something should go wrong.

I had to admit, it was something that scared me, my tempter was wildly unbalanced and if I saw them attack Charlie in any way I was bound to lose my temper and my sanity, and with it, I would leave my family vulnerable. That was something I didn't want and it was something I couldn't let happen, so Jasper would be close at all times, keeping my temper at bay. I also had to keep myself aware that Charlie would be there, and that his blood was human, if I lost my temper I would go to my instincts, and that would turn deadly for my father. I was no willing to risk his life, from me, or the Volturi.

Each of us knew the risks we were taking on, and my pleading for the family to stay behind had been put aside with optimistic shouts of unity and solidarity, now, each couple huddled together, they were saying goodbye, we all knew there was a large chance we would never be leaving. They were trying to hide it from me, but there was no escaping it when under the shield, I could almost feel the moroseness that surrounded us.

I had to go, I had to save my father, but these people who surrounded me could save their own lives and live, it was the only thing I had asked of them, I had asked them to choose their lives and one another, but they had chosen me, they had chosen family. It all seemed so unfair to me, I had only just begun my life as an immortal, I had only tasted the pleasures of married life, and now it was being taken from me. It was almost as though I should have expected it.

Edward hadn't left my side since we'd made the decision, he spent every second with me, breathing in my scent, memorizing my face. His fingers traced every inch of my body committing it to his mind. He hummed my lullaby constantly, but hadn't touched the piano. I couldn't say I was much different, I had memorized the sound of his voice, watched each strand of his bronze hair as it danced on his head, pushed back the loose strands that fell in his eyes. Traced his lips with my fingers, drank in the scent of his breath as he spoke.

None of us wanted to believe this was the end but we were preparing ourselves for the worst case scenario. Even Jacob had been attentive, he was polite to everyone as he moped uselessly around the house. I had to talk him out of following us on more than one occasion. He hated that he wouldn't be there to back us up if we needed him, and it made him angry that he couldn't vindicate Sam's death.

The death had shaken the entire Quileute tribe, the people had mourned him as the chief he was, and had recognized Jacob as the next chief in line. They looked to him for guidance and support, he was their rock. Whenever I pointed this out to him he would sit quietly thinking about the words. He seemed to have aged tremendously since falling into the position of chief and Alpha.

Edward didn't mind having him around anymore, they had been bonded through the death of Sam, it was something I had never expected, and it wasn't the circumstances I would have wanted them to happen under, but it had happened. They spoke quietly amongst themselves, Jacob was still trying to convince us that he should be with us, but none of the Cullen's were willing for the only protection the Quileute people had to be taken from them and wiped out in farthest place they could get from home. We even went as far as to lie . . . What if we escape? This will be the first place they look for us.

I still hadn't seen Emily, I was scared to. I didn't want to see that heartache on her face. I knew that she was beyond herself, lost in her grief, but the tribal elders and the people in the village looked after her, she was pregnant, she'd kept it quiet so they could marry before they announced her pregnancy. It was another blow to me, I had taken the father of this unborn child, I had stolen the fiancé of this woman.

"Bella . . ." Edward's pain filled voice, brush the air across my cheek and made the ends of my hair dance along my skin and tickle the path of skin.

I had forgotten he could hear me, he was in the protective barrier and had been, but my thoughts would stray with my grief, worry and my anxiety. I hated that he suffered my guilt with me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, he didn't need to share in my pity.

"You did _not_ do this, Bella. Do you understand me. This is not your fault. Even if we had left and were living hundreds of miles away this would have still happened, Aro is using your father a pawn, a simple piece in this complicated game. He wants power, and nothing would have stopped him from trying to obtain it."

"They took Charlie, Edward."

"Yes, and I'm sure if you were human they would have taken you. They were waiting for a human that we had a bond with, not just you, all of us. So if you're going to blame someone, blame me, I put you in this situation because I was too selfish to leave you alone."

I placed both my hands on either side of his face and turned his head to face me. I Caught his eyes with mine and made my stare as hard as I could get it.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, If you _ever_ say that again I'll . . . please, _please_, never apologize for loving me, for wanting me. I wanted you too, you are my life, your are my heart and soul. You are the reason for my existence. I love you with every fiber of my being, all I've ever wanted is you. Apologizing for that makes it seem like it was all for nothing. After everything we've been through, we've beaten the odds." Until now.

"I love you too." Edward kissed one of the hands cupping his face. "I could have never stayed away from you, I was always so torn, but then I fell so in love with you nothing mattered anymore, you were the only one I could see, the only one _I_ ever wanted. I have waited so long for you, I'm not going to lose you now. So don't you dare say goodbye, Bella. Do you understand?"

I nodded and placed a feather light kiss on his lips.

"No goodbyes, we're walking away from this . . . all of us are!"

I wanted to believe him, and I wanted to hold on to the spark of hope he ignited in me. One small spoke of hope, but I wanted to pull it to me with both hands.

"Alice?" I whispered, it was loud enough for only the vampires on board this flight to hear.

"Yes, Bella?" Her voice reached me easily.

"Have you seen anything yet?"

"Nothing that'll help us but I'm still watching."

"Thanks."

The Volturi had been playing this smart, Aro, after his glutenous look into Alice's mind the last time we were here, had figured out how Alice's gift worked, and he was clearly using it against her, he shuffled orders around and changed his mind often, four different decisions would be made at the same time, yet only one would be executed. It seemed they had a system around her visions.

What they didn't count on is us finding our way around each of their plans, we wanted to be prepared, and this meant we were covered for every possibility. Yet there were still no guarantees.

Edward would hear anything they were planning once we were close, but that didn't help us now, if they sent an order for the guard to meet us at the gates, we wouldn't know whether it was a true order until it happened, and by the time Edward would hear it, it would be too late.

We were physically and metaphorically stuck between a rock and a hard place!

This flight was the shortest of our journey, yet I was more anxious than I had ever been, the next flight seemed torturous to me, another ten hours on a plane did nothing to ease my panic. Edward continually mumbled about it being faster than running, this only reminded me of the last time I had been on these flights, it was almost exactly what Alice had said. It didn't ease my anxiety then, and it certainly didn't now.

I constantly thought about how to handle the Volturi, they were old and stuck in their ways, they valued their own rules, but what still intrigued me was why they had broken their own rules for this. My father had no idea about the supernatural world that I was now a part of, I had been careful to keep it from him. Now, he had been dragged into this huge mess by the very governing law that insisted upon my mortality being taken from me.

I was interrupted from my thoughts by the change of flights. We exited the plane quickly knowing that we had a limited amount of time before our next plane left. The airport in New York was full of people as they scurried for their next flights, but they gave us a large berth as we moved towards our connecting flight in a large group. They refused to even look at us most of the time, it was their body's natural defense to push them out of our paths. It made the trip to the opposite side of the airport a lot easier for us at least.

The Flight was boarding when we arrived, Alice had made sure to get the closest connecting flight in the time frame, she knew, from experience, that I was no good on planes when it came to saving someone at the opposite end of the flight, she'd even gone as far as to order some slightly ostentatious rental cars.

We were more prepared than the last trip we'd made, but it still didn't ease the anxiety. We took our seats and waited as the flight crew went through their small stint, I was getting frustrated at the woman who was stood at the head of our row, she was exaggerating her movements, she was flirting. I rolled my eyes.

"What?" Edward whispered leaning towards me.

"Nothing," I bit my lower lip and tried to shove the thought aside. Edward had obviously been listening to Alice, or someone else.

Edward chuckled next to me, and I realized my misconception. He'd heard me all right, but did he wanted me to say it out loud? I felt my eyes widen and I turned to look at him. His head was on the head rest but facing me, his eyes held mine gently when they met.

"I heard you, but I hadn't noticed, my eyes were on you."

I hated that my thoughts were taking so much away from my time with him, my time to memorize him. I felt selfish again. The way his eyes drank me in and committed me to memory, I couldn't shake the feeling of him saying goodbye.

"I'm not saying goodbye, Bella."

"I feel as though you are," I sighed.

"I refuse to think of this as the end of us, we're only just beginning, I can't, I won't let this be the end."

My hand reached out gently and stroked the side of his handsome face. I was so lucky to have him in my life, he had chosen me and I had done nothing to deserve such good fortune. I needed him to know how I felt about him, how I'd always felt about him, so I replayed every memory I had with him. The first time my eyes brushed over his handsome features, the glare he had given me in biology that had crushed me, my elation of his return to school. I played everything in my memory for him, my human memory, daintily skipping over my eighteenth birthday and the six months that followed it. I finally finished on our wedding night, amplifying the pleasure he had given me, but stopping before the pain. The very last memory I had given him, was that of us on the mountain, my emotions, my pleasure, my completion.

His smile was so broad, I couldn't help but match it, he looked happy. I had finally given him the insight to me life with him, the truth and honesty of my love for him. the intensity I felt every time he touched me, the thoughts that made my heart flutter, the thoughts he could never reach.

"Do you see how much you meant to me from the start?" I whispered.

Edward lifted his head from the rest and brushed his lips against mine. My entire body filled with the purity of our love. I would never devote myself to anything but him for eternity.

"Please . . ." I heard the groan in Jasper's voice.

Edward broke away from me and our eyes diverted to the seats in front of us. Jasper was looking through the small crack of the seats. His amber eyes looked full of intensity and concentration.

"If you two insist on throwing those kind of emotions around, please , have some mercy, and not do it while we're in this protective barrier. Everything is amplified in here." His voice was rough and thick.

Alice giggled in the seat next to him. His eyes shot in her direction and his gaze lingered slightly, as his features softened.

"Sorry," I whispered.

Edward simply grinned and ran his hand along my arm until his hand found mine.

We sat in silence for a large portion of the flight, it seemed we'd said all that we could for now. The chips would have to fall where they may when we got there, we were walking into this knowing it was what they wanted, but there was no way of knowing how much they knew. It was our only choice now. I tried not to dwell on the upcoming situation too much. I had so little time with my family, and as hopeful as Edward seemed to be - and I hoped against hope, he was right - I still felt the need to spend as much time as I could with him, and I couldn't bare this to be filled with the morose brood that simmered slightly under the surface. I needed these moments to be as normal as the possible could be in this situation.

The only entertainment that was afforded to us was when Emmett and Rosalie disappeared together. They had been so very surreptitious about it. Rosalie had disappeared from her seat. Not unusual for normal passengers, but quite unusual for us. There was nothing on this plane that could have made Rosalie leave her seat. we neither ate nor drank, and there was no need for the small and inconvenient restrooms.

it wasn't until Emmett got up and followed her, that I rose my eyebrows and looked at Edward, but his lips were jammed together in a straight line as he tried to hold in a laugh. he'd heard his brothers thoughts and as much as he probably didn't want to hear them, I could see the small amount of humor dancing in his eyes. His eyes moved to me and he winked, pulling my head closer to him.

"Have you ever heard of the mile high club?" he whispered so quietly I could barely make out the words.

I had, it was a term people used for sex on planes, then everything mentally clicked into place. A vivid mental picture entered my mind, I tried to shut it out but it was too late. I rubbed my forehead willing the image to leave but there was no luck, all I could see in my twisted mental picture was the giant frame of Emmett wedged into the small space, his hand moving across Rosalie . . . no, I couldn't let the picture go on, it was too disturbing, like when you first realize your parents are having sex . . . shudder. Too much.

Edward chuckled silently and laid a finger on his lips and pointed to Jasper. My eyes widened, he wanted me to leave the barrier up so Jasper would get the full and unadulterated passion seeping from his siblings. It was cruel, and I knew this, but I really couldn't resist. The small amount of fun we could pull from this could relax us for even just a fraction of time. Selfish, yes, childish, even more so, necessary, yes . . . I needed a little release. I nodded.

It didn't take long for the games to begin, Rosalie and Emmett obviously wasted no time. Once again, the thought of the giant that was Emmett, stuffed into the tiny cramped restroom filled my head. Edward stifled a laugh and tried to keep his face calm. I tried pushing the image out of my mind again, it was beginning to get disturbing.

I could see Jasper, tapping his fingers too quickly on the arm rest that sat between him and Alice, fidgeting with the overwhelming emotion that was probably drowning him at this point, I was amazed he'd made it this long without investigating. He spun in his seat and glared at us, knowing the inevitability of this, we had made sure we were barely touching, I was so sure he would have put together the absence of Rose and Emmett together with the emotions, but it seemed that he had forgotten the barrier. I was playing mindlessly with Edward's fingers, waiting for him to say something.

"Stop it." he hissed, and his head appeared over the seats.

"Stop what?" Edward asked, his eyes full of innocence as he looked up at his brother. I looked between the two of them trying to frown rather than smile. Alice's petite features popped up next to her husband.

"Your . . . Oh crap . . ." his eyes moved towards the empty seats and back to us.

"What?" Edward asked again, following Jasper's line of sight.

Jasper growled under his breath and fell back into his seat, with a large, exaggerated exhale. Alice looked at the two of us grinned and sat back in her seat. My body shook gently with the laughter that filled me. I hated to think how unbearable this would be for him. Alice tried to comfort him stroking his arms and speaking in gentle tones, but there seemed to be no easing of the surge of insurmountable pleasure being thrown at him. Alice seemed to have caught the decision and let it happen.

Jasper moved quicker than he should have, he stepped into the isle of the plane, and he took Alice's hand and pulled her from the seat. His eyes darted around the cabin looking for another bathroom, one that wasn't already preoccupied by his siblings. He found what he was looking for and tugged Alice in the direction, her small features lit up as she passed us, her enraptured grin bore her perfect teeth as she disappeared behind him.

Edward's laugh was finally released, right along with mine. Our bodies shook gently as the humor filled us. Carlisle's head popped up of the chairs for a brief second silencing us, we were drawing attention to ourselves, and I was sure we sounded as though we were suffering from hysteria. we both relaxed into one another and enjoyed the peace.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Jasper and Alice hadn't been gone too long before all hell broke loose. It was an oversight on our part . . . it hit us quickly in the confines of the bubble, the pure, raw desire, mixed lethally with the passion. I looked at Edward with my mouth open, his eyes widen as my realization collided with his.

Jasper was letting off his emotions in the throws of passion. All of the muscles in my abdomen tightened and pulsated sending an electric bolt through my body, I couldn't keep my eyes off of Edward. I fought for control of my thoughts but the desire was too distracting. Just like it always had been. Part of my mind was screaming and telling me how wrong this was, but my body was reacting to my emotions, acting towards the pull of the man I loved.

His golden eyes, filled with passion, traveled over my body. His tongue danced lithely across his lips as he leaned towards me. Our lips met, gently at first but soon with a hurried frenzy. I was enjoying the closeness, my hand pressed gently against his chest as I climbed onto his lap. I couldn't get close enough, I wanted him to touch me and take control like he hand against the tree, I wanted his animalistic nature to hunger for me as I hungered for him.

We broke apart each letting a small whisper of regret fill the air. My breath came in small spurts as his hands travel up and down the outside of my thighs. I couldn't take my eyes from his as we teased one another, our hands inching toward forbidden places. The feeling was overwhelming as our lips met again, it was so much more hurried and instinctual than before, but still full of the excitement Edward always brought to me with his touch.

I knew this wasn't us, it wasn't our emotions, but it felt good, this release seemed pull my body towards it. Edward's lips slowed as we gentled our touches, the mood had shifted from unbridled passion to loving desire, a gentler passion one that seemed to urge on the desire to touch and explore, rather than ravage and fulfill the need.

Edward, let his eyes flicker open and he pulled away from me. His gaze was still hungry, but I could see something had pulled his attention away. his eyes darted to the seats two rows ahead and he hung his head, a small smile on his lips. The realization that Carlise was probaly berating him in his thoughts, hit me with a ton of bricks and sobered me instantly. I slid gently into my seat beside Edward, trying to keep my eyes from meeting Carlisle's. There wouldn't be anger there, just amazement, surprise and disappointment. It was a little more than I could handle right now.

I was still huddled under Edward's arm, but I was below the level of the seats now. I looked up and noticed what we'd been missing. It seemed the sensation had begun spreading throughout the plane. Couples were already lost in one another's kisses, strangers were looking at one another hungrily. The confused passion filling their flirting smiles. W hat a disaster, it hadn't even occured to me.

I could feel Edward's hands running up and down the side of my body again, I could feel my mind and body succumbing to the false emotions again. They were getting stronger, deeper I could barely keep a coherent thought in my mind. I was longing to feel Edward against me again, the rational part of my mind tried to fight the feeling, it wasn't my emotions after all, by the irrational side was ccoing at me, telling me what I wanted to hear, showing me the ecstacy that would erupt with the conclusion, I started craving it, craving Edward.

If I hadn't seen Carlisle passing us, I would have let go completely, I would have fallen into the moment, the emotions were so blindly strong, we probably wouldn't have cared. Edward saw Carlisle through my eyes, and sobered a little, his hands eased against the side of my body.

"Bad Idea." he whispered quietly.

I nodded at him, my eyes scanned over some of the more rambunctious couples. They were getting a little carried away. My eyes widened at some of the things I really shouldn't be seeing and I was immediately sobered by guilt, a guilt that was not mine. I wasn't the only one . . .

I couldn't stop the laughter from escaping me now, I covered my mouth with my hand as I looked around the cabin, the humans were all sat bolt upright in their seats, eyeing one another in their peripheral vision. The strangers took a double take on one another before throwing themselves into a task that would keep them out of the others eye line. The couples looked around sheepishly wondering whether anyone had noticed.

It was funny, but my emotions were so backwards at the moment, my laughs gave way to sobs. Edward's arms wrapped around me and pulled me to him, he let my body shake as I sobbed tearlessly. I couldn't control myself as i finally let the emotions submerge me. I tried to grip onto the hilarity of the situation but it was pushed aside by the crushing weight of what was ahead of us.

I heard the footsteps as Carlisle strode past us, his brief pause told me he was concerned, but Edward must have waved him on. I was too deep into my own self pity to pull myself together. I heard the light footsteps of Alice and Jasper next but, I still couldn't look up, I was finally releasing what had I had been holding inside myself all this time, my fear, anger, grief, concern, pain, came shaking out of me as my body rocked against Edward's.

His silence showed me his concern, but my thoughts reassured his as best they could. What a mess, how impossibly emotionally unstable I had become. I let the sadness take me until my sobs finally subsided, I had been suffering silently, I hadn't wanted to draw attention to myself. Storing them inside myself had let them build up, compressed like gas, ready to explode it I tried to load anymore on top of it. This had been a release, a release I had needed from the start.

"I'm sorry." I whispered into Edward's broad chest. "I don't know what came over me."

"Bella, you've been holding that in for days, your anger has been the only thing you would let through. You didn't give yourself time to mourn for Sam, or time to really panic about Charlie."

"I couldn't . . ."

"I know, Bella. You are still so young to this life, it's normal to be confused, and all to easy to push unwanted emotions aside, but still you needed to get that out, it was draining you."

"Thank you." I whispered leaning away from him so I could see his face.

He kissed my forehead gently and pulled me back into his chest. That's where I stayed for the remained of the flight.

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**A/N: sorry for the off Schedule, I am moving at the moment but trying to keep this updating as regularly at the same time, not quite working out lol. So I will be unplugging my comp tonight . . . but never fear (I know . . . you're not lol) it should be back up and running before I update again. I am hoping to be hard wired instead of dealilng with crappy wireless!! **

**I know what happened was kinda . . . um . . . steering away from the grief and fear, but I figured they would risk goodbye, there is always the 'JUST IN CASE' factor . . . I so wanna tell you whats gonna happen, but I hate spoilers so . . . -ZIP-  
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**Thanks for the Alerts and faves, and THANKYOU . . . REVIEWERS, Y'ALL ARE AWESOME, SERIOUSLY AWESOME, I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I KILLED SAM, I AM HORRIBLE . . . SORRY SM, . . . YOU GUYS REALLY ROCK!!**

**-BIG HUGS-L-**


	16. Chapter 16

_**All things Twilight belong to the awesomely awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

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**Chapter 17 - Perfidy**

After finally processing my emotions on the plane, I was able to put them aside again. It was almost too easy to hide it away in the back of my mind now. It also strengthened the walls of my defenses, I hadn't been aware of the physical toll it had been taking from me.

We found our cars quickly as we exited the airport, each of us climbed in. They were both fast looking cars that would have normally had Rosalie drooling, but in the current situation, she crawled into the back of the car Edward and I occupied and pulled in Emmett behind her.

It wouldn't take us long to get to Volterra, especially not with Edward driving, and even though it scared me to death, I drew strength from thee family members that surrounded me. I tried to absorb some of the sights this time, it was the second time I had ever been out of the country and I had traveled to the same destination, one I swore I would never set foot in again.

The countryside flew by us quickly as we sped towards our destination, there was silence in the backseat, just as much as there was in the front. I couldn't fathom the thoughts that were running through the individual minds in the car. Edward's silence was the worst to bear, I wanted to hear the velvet tones of his voice, I wanted to know what he was thinking. Instead, we carried on in silence.

We were the leading car, Carlisle and Esme with Alice and Jasper were behind us. We darted around slower traffic, weaving expertly along the roads, my dull human memory recognized some of the things I had been lucid enough to absorb the last time I traveled these highways. We were closing in on the ominous looking castle. Something I was sure would be nostalgic for Carlisle, but something that held nothing but fear for me. I wasn't sure how Alice or Edward felt, but I would have been perfectly happy to have spent the rest of eternity without passing through these walls again.

The sun was setting behind the landscape as we traveled, Alice had planned for this, she'd made sure we would arrive under the cover of darkness so we could travel safely throughout the city, there would be no danger of revelation because of the sunlight, we were sticking to the rules so we could hopefully walk away.

Hope, I was amazed it was still a word in my vocabulary, it had diminished so much throughout the course of this nightmare. There was still that inkling though, that one shard that each of us almost seemed desperate to cling to. I knew Edward could hear my thoughts and I was happy that his curiosity wouldn't disrupt his vigilant silence. He was trying so hard to be strong, to feed the glimmer of hope.

We traveled for a couple of hours until ahead of us, the dark ominous castle came into view. I shuddered at the sight of the turrets that stood against the darkening sky. It was in that place that I'd realized how dark this world could be. I had almost lost my life with those poor weak humans, I had been given a second chance after a promise of immortality, could Charlie have the same offer? I didn't think I could give it to him, but if it would secure his future, any future I would do it, I would give that promise.

Edward's eyes flickered to me as this thought passed through my mind. it wasn't what he wanted to hear, it wasn't the option he wanted for my father, as it hadn't been the option he'd wanted for me. My mind during that time had been so warped by those longs apart, I really believed he didn't want to have to deal with me for an eternity, that he wouldn't promise Aro because he didn't want me. I was so stuck in my own self loathing, I couldn't see just how much he did love me.

Edward eased off the gas as we approached the bottom of the hill, it was almost as though he was delaying the inevitable, I couldn't blame him, my body was tensed, ready to run from the sight, but it lost it's weak battle against my mind that seemed to call out to Charlie with such strength and conviction, it had no choice but to follow the orders.

The car moved smoothly to the top of the hill, and Edward approached the entrance of the castle. I tried to ignore the ancient portcullis that hung overhead as we passed through, it seemed to hold the same dread as it had the last time I noticed it. There was a small amount of interest from the backseat, I wasn't sure whether Rosalie and Emmett had ever been here before.

Edward let out a sigh as we drove through the empty streets. I knew now what Alice had meant when we had come during the festival, they _were_ everywhere. I could smell them, hear them, sense them. Every darkened lane, every blackened corner. I shuddered at the thought of the crimson eyes following us as we drove towards the turret. I hated that, I had that in common with them. It was still my blood that was evident in these eyes, I had not drank from a human, but the distinction would be minimal.

"You're nothing like them, Bella." Edward's tone was comforting, but I could tell he didn't like being surrounded like this.

"I had no idea," Rosalie whispered from the back. "When Alice said they were everywhere, I thought she was exaggerating, but it's almost overwhelming."

"They hide, even under the cover of night." Emmett observed, his eyes scanning the darkened streets, the black side roads.

"They've been waiting for us." Edward stated tensely.

With perfect recall, he took us to the doors we had left from, the warm glow emanating from the lights inside gave a false sense of security, the building looked so normal from here. The turret was visible as it had been that day, but I had never looked behind me for long that first time, I hadn't realized quite how normal it looked from this perspective, even with my enhanced vision.

A cloaked figure stood in the lobby, I recognized him immediately. It was Felix, his tall stature and large frame dominated the room, he, like the rest of the guard had been waiting for us, he would be our guard to the ancients. I shuddered at the sight of him, he was still just as scary looking as he had been to me as a human. His dark hair fell limply against his head as he glared out the windows. Edward growled under his breath as he turned off the car.

It seemed Felix still enjoyed antagonism.

Edward got out of the car first, but he was hesitant, I could hear the doors of the car behind us open, so I took a deep breath and opened my door. The smell was stronger now, the scents, all vampire, were mingled with the human scents, but they were everywhere, I couldn't believe how overpowering it was.

I didn't stand alone for long, Edward was beside my side in a second, he picked up my hand gently, it was a gesture of love and support that I very much needed at this moment. I knew that he hated being here just as much as I did.

"That's an understatement." he sighed.

We waited for the rest of the family before we headed towards the doors, Felix was growing impatient on the other side, his face was cold and expressionless, not something I could remember about this large vampire. Carlisle walked in first followed closely by Esme, then Edward and me, the rest behind us.

Felix's eyes scanned the group and landed on me, a sneer appeared as he looked at me, his tongue darted across his lips and his eyes drank me in. Edward growled beside me, Emmett and Jasper stepped forward. This seemed to cheer Felix up a little, the reaction he'd wanted.

"Bella," he laughed, "Delicious . . . but not your blood this time."

Edward stepped forward again, but I tugged on his arm, this wasn't how I wanted to start off proceedings, I wanted to keep a level head until I was able to face Aro, until I was able to secure Charlie's safety with my own two eyes. I understood his anger, if Charlie's life wasn't in jeopardy, I would have taken his head myself.

Edward chuckled at the thought as it passed through my mind. Felix eyed us suspiciously.

"Follow me," Felix's brooding voice boomed across us as he turned to stroll away.

We obeyed and followed him to the elevator we were all silent now as we entered. Edward's arm wrapped around my waist and he pulled me against one of the far walls, the furthest he could get from Felix. We all crammed inside and waited as the slow machine traveled up the floors. No one in the small metal box was breathing, the only noise was the elevator clanging up the floors. I wasn't even sure how many floors we had traveled, there were no lights or buttons indicating levels as it traveled.

Edward pulled me closer into his side, but his eyes never left Felix. I had to admit, I less than trusted the large figure, and it was strange knowing how much of a hold the Volturi had over us, we could have easily decimated the animal in this small space, the eight of us could have overpowered him easily, but we were still here on a goodwill gesture, destroying one of their guard wouldn't be a good idea, it would create a war zone, and my human father would be stuck in the middle, fragile and vulnerable.

Edward's hand rubbed my shoulder gently, he'd heard the avenue my mind had taken, and it was his way of agreeing with me, starting negotiations with an act of violence wasn't the key. We needed to play this smart.

The metal doors scraped open revealing the same reception that we had entered and waited for nightfall in. Gianna was not sat behind the counter this time, it was empty. I wasn't sure how I felt about this. Were their humans missing for a reason?

Edward tightened the arm around my waist we headed towards the door of the ornate corridor, I hated seeing these same walls as we passed through. It brought back so many bad memories, memories I neither wanted or needed in my head right now, especially with Edward hearing and seeing the thoughts pass through my mind. I tried to push them aside, but the thick oppressive feeling continued to chip at me.

I was surprised when Felix led us past the hidden door in the wall and continued forward to the large, elaborate, golden doors at the end of the hall. I tried to process some of the memories looking for the reasoning, Edward was tense beside me as I hit some of the more painful parts, my obtuse belief he didn't love me, and the pain that filled me when he was so undecided about agreeing to change me.

"Bella, it was their feeding room, the stone made it easier to kill . . . the spillage, the drain . . ."

My shudder cut off Edward's whisper, the small woman that spoke the language I couldn't understand ran through my mind again, but the feeling was mingled with relief, they hadn't waited for us there, there was a chance we could escape with Charlie. At least, their intention wasn't to kill him . . . not yet, anyway.

The large ornate door pushed open on one side, Demetri stepped out as he pushed the heavy door. His eyes danced across the eight of us wearily, I couldn't read his expression, it seemed as though he was concentrating on something distant. It made me a little uncomfortable.

"Felix," His deep voice, created a skip in my step, but I recovered quickly.

"Demetri, are they ready for their audience?"

Demetri nodded once and his eyes picked me out of the group. There was no growl from Edward, this was encouraging, but the way he was looking at me made me feel assailable.

"I apologize, but may I say Vampirism suits you, Bella." His thick Italian accent was smooth and level as his eyes once again appraised me.

"Thank you," the words came out a lot stronger than I felt. Edward's arm once again tightened around me but I could tell it was pride rather than protective.

I was guessing that this vampires thoughts were not as disrespectful as Felix's. At least there were some guards in this infernal place that had some level of decency. Demetri was perhaps one of the biggest problems in the Volturi, especially with his gift, he could track us wherever we went, except of course, if I surrounded my family with this shield for the rest of eternity. It would be a task but I would gladly do it to keep them safe. His stature was much the same as Felix's, he was large and intimidating, but his face was kinder. I wasn't sure what this meant, but I hoped he still held onto some level of compassion.

The ornate doors lead to another large corridor, it was simpler that the one we had just traveled through, and longer, this place was a maze, and I tried to keep my eyes open, so I could memorize what corridors we were traveling through, I didn't want to get lost, I wanted to make sure we had a choice to leave, I wanted to get my family out of here if there was any possibility.

The corridor, though simple, had large wooden doors at the end, they were stood open, as though waiting for us, they gave off an ominous feeling, they called to us. My body was putting up a fight, but my mind pushed me forwards. Everything about this screamed danger, my life preservation had seemed to have finally kicked in, too little too late. I was here for Charlie, I needed to get him out alive.

"Bella," Edward's voice was quiet but the concern was evident. He'd been listening to my concerns, my thought processes. The small glimmer of hope that seemed to be growing inside of me. He was right to be worried, I shouldn't be hoping, I was setting myself up for failure.

"No, love, it's not that."

My eyes met his, I could still see the glimmer of hope behind his eyes, just as strong and fierce as it had been on the plane. Was it something he'd heard?

He nodded once. I slowed down my movements, perhaps asking questions would be the best avenue to take here. _Did you hear a decision?_

Edward moved his eyes from left to right.

_Did you hear Charlie?_

Edward nodded once, again and followed it with a smile.

_Being difficult?_

Edward tried to hold in a laugh.

Of course Charlie was being difficult, he was the chief of police, and no matter how much these creatures tried to intimidate him, he would stand strong, it was always in his nature. He was as stubborn as an ox, he was the source of that side of me.

His resolute act of defiance filled me with another kind of hope, maybe he hadn't realized what was going on, who these people were, what these people were. Perhaps they had been careful when they took him, maybe they had taken him without revealing themselves. I looked to Edward to confirmation.

His eyes once again moved from left to right.

So he knew, Charlie knew something was wrong. Did they tell him _what_ they were?

Edward nodded.

So they had broken their own rules, this gave me some fuel, some ammunition to face them with. They had done what I hadn't, they had given away the secret I had protected with every piece of myself, a secret I was now part of. Did they abide by the same rules, could we punish them for their defiance, for their mistakes?

I took a deep breath and carried on forwards to the open doors, I knew Charlie was on the other side of them, unhurt for now, and I planned on keeping it that way. I had a plan and I hoped my family would back me up, and I hoped that the Volturi and each of their guards stood by their precious rules, because I planned to use it against them, throw it in their faces.

It seemed to me as though they had lost their upper hand.

I lifted my head and kept my spine straight as I marched forward. Alice had a small smirk on her face and the others seemed confused. I hated going in there and speaking without consulting them, but I had no choice. We were in the very core of the lions den, and we were surrounded. I couldn't pull them aside and ask for their opinion anymore, I had to do this with the hope that they would understand and agree.

Alice pulled Jasper and stood on my other side. Her small stature seemed elongated with the rigidity of her spine, she held her head up and matched her pace to mine. I smiled at her, this would work, I was sure of it.

Hope flooded through me now as a safety line, it tingled as it filled each of my limbs and pushed me forwards.

We passed over the threshold of the door and into the cavernous room, it was gaudy and pretentious, it suited the regard in which the Volturi held themselves. They thought themselves royalty and it was obvious that they treated themselves as such. Three thrones stood on a raised level overlooking a large paneled room. The panels were white with gold trim, the lights and sconces were also solid gold as they hung decoratively in evenly spaced intervals. The light cast warm circles of glowing light. A ruby red carpet led from the doors to the thrones, the rest of the floor was a warm, ancient wood.

They were arrogant, the details that filled this room made that obvious. I would use their arrogance against them.

My fathers scent was the first thing to hit me sensory wise in this room, his human scent assaulted my throat creating a burning that agitated and burned. The intensity was throbbing, nagging, but knowing it was my father helped my push the instinctual need back. I heard his heart beat speed up and the blood wash through his veins. I scoured the room for Charlie and saw him stood behind the two small child-like vampires. His eyes were on me as he drank in my appearance. His eyes bulged. I started towards him slowly, I smiled lightly, not showing my teeth to him. I knew my eyes, especially being the same color as the Volturi would confuse him, but I it was my blood that still forced that upon me, they would fade with time.

"Bells?" My dad moved to step forward but the twins pulled together closer in front of him.

I could feel a growl growing in my chest but I pushed it aside, I didn't want to frighten Charlie, I needed him to trust me.

"Dad, are you alright?"

"Fine, are you . . . Bells, you're a vampire?"

I nodded slowly, I would never feel ashamed of what I was now, I lived by rules that would not make me the monster that these people were. I stepped forward again, Edward and Alice at my sides.

Jane smiled her angelic smile, the one that accompanied her little gift, I waited for the assault as she concentrated on me, but it was Edward's barrier that had the nudging, she knew I was protected so she went for my heart instead. She was aiming at my one weakness, she was smarter than I gave her credit for, but we were prepared, we were in control. None of us were vulnerable to her pain anymore.

I smiled sweetly at her and took another step forward. Her smile faded quickly and she bore her teeth at me, one thing I knew about Jane was failure was a weakness to her, it bruised her ego. The two times I had been unfortunate enough to be in her presence, she had tried to effect me, and both were just as disappointing, she had grown angry then, placated by Aro the first, and stifled, I was sure, by her orders the second.

The anger I had been trying to conceal grew inside of me, I knew it wasn't safe to let it control me so close to my human father, my anger had me acting on instincts alone. I couldn't afford to be careless at this juncture, I needed to keep my calm, I needed strength, I needed resolve.

I bit back the anger that was bubbling inside my mind and concentrated on my love for my father, my love for my family. We had a bond that couldn't be broken by these callous creatures, we had a bond that was stronger than the threatening nature, we had each other, we had respect and we had strength.

Ignoring Jane, I stepped forward again, my eyes only on Charlie as I advanced. Jane was still upset about the lack of power she had over us, she was crouched into an attacking position. The sight wasn't as threatening as it should have been, she was so small, I couldn't imagine her being dangerous.

Alec, who always seemed to have control over his emotions laid an hand on his sisters arm.

"Easy, Jane."

Jane hissed through her teeth, I ignored her but my eyes moved to Charlie. He stepped away from the small girl and flattened his back against the wall, his eyes wide with fear and loathing. It made my protective instinct surface. I would not allow him to be stuck with these angelic demons, they would physically have to fight me if they wanted me to back away.

"Charlie, I know you're afraid, but I need you to come to me." I said in a calming voice.

Jane crouched lower and snarled.

I narrowed my eyes at the small girl. She couldn't hurt me, the only threat she had ever been to me was while I was human, she could have shredded through my delicate skin easily. Now, she had no advantage, her gift was useless, and not only to me but to the ones I protected. Her strength was nothing anymore, I still had my newborn strength protecting me, I doubted she had any skill as a fighter, I was sure her gift saved her from battling physically. So we were even, head to head, toe to toe.

Edward laid a hand on my shoulder, he was growing protective of me now, but I wouldn't let him stop this. I could handle Aro and the others as long as my father was by my side, if he was trapped behind a cage of the Volturi's evil guards, it would make me uneasy.

Jane's small figure readied itself for the spring, her eyes narrowed and her concentration grew as she focused on me alone.

"Dear Jane, you must not lose your head dear." Aro's melodic and ancient voice traveled across the room making every inch of my skin crawl. I couldn't face him yet, I wouldn't let my father out of my sight.

Jane straightened and her eyes softened as she looked at her master.

"Come child, there is not battle here, you may allow the man to join his daughter."

Jane and Alec moved to the side, towards Aro's voice. My eyes were still on my father. As soon as he was unguarded, he made his way to me, his feet working quickly. I met him mid way and wrapped my arms around his waist. I didn't know what had caused Aro's generosity, and I didn't particularly care. All I cared about was that I had my father in my arms, alive, his heart beating.

"Oh Dad, I was so worried, are you hurt?"

"No Bells, I'm fine." his voice sounded stiff as he registered my cool skin and rock hard body. I knew it was a shock to him but what else could I do, he was my father, I loved him.

"I'm sorry you were dragged into this."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"This is why, Dad. If you knew, if I had told you, you wouldn't be alive here, they would have killed you for knowing too much." Charlie flinched at the words. "It's a secret I was bound to keep, one that would have kept you safe."

"But, but . . . you're one of them."

"It was part of the deal, it was either this or death."

Charlie's silence was deafening, he was a smart man, he would process what this meant and I had no idea what he would chose if he had to make the choice. I was going to fight that, I was going to make sure that he would escape with his human life. I didn't know how, but I would do it.

"Bella, so good to see you. I see you held your part of the promise after all." Aro's voice was too cheerful, of course he was enjoying this. I pulled Charlie behind me and I made my way back to the family, my eyes on the ground. When I looked up at my family I saw their astonished faces. What had them so anxious?

My gaze followed theirs, and I saw it, I saw who was stood next to Aro and all of the puzzle pieces fell into place, of course we had been betrayed, it was so obvious now, the nagging feeling disappeared with this revelation, it was the missing piece.

"Hello Bella . . ."

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**A/N: Who is it? Who betrayed the Cullens? LOL. I have to say, I am on Chapter 21 right now so there's a lot more to come, there are a few surprises too.**

**Thank you for the Alerts and faves, and thank you to THE REVIEWERS, YOU GUYS REALLY MAKE IT A JOY TO WRITE, SO THANK YOU . . . LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK . . . YOU GUYS ROCK!**

**-BIG HUGZ - L -**


	17. Chapter 17

_**All things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

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**Chapter 18 - Confrontation**

Soren stood smugly on Aro's left side, his smile was serene and calm. There was a look of complete satisfaction at completing his masters tasks. My anger rose in me, but with it, everything fell into place. He was the missing piece of the puzzle, Tanya and Irina acting so strangely had set off this agitating nagging in the back of my mind, but there was always that piece of the puzzle missing, I had never made the leap. Now, here in front of me, it all made sense, Soren . . .

He was causing the distractions, but I had never thought to link him with the Volturi. Aro, above all others knew how Alice's vision worked, he knew that Tanya making a move on Edward would distract us all, Alice would be watching that, he knew that she wouldn't follow much else, except maybe him. Soren had made Irina vengeful, creating a distraction for the wolves, I hadn't thought he would have know about the wolves but he would have seen it in Alice's memory when we came here, she had just met one of them, I had given her all of the information.

Once again the realization of all this being my fault crashed over me in waves, pulling me under, drowning me in the resevoir of guilt. Edward's arm immediatley circled my waist, he was reassuring me again. I didn't deserve compassion and reassurance. I deserved to be pusnished for what I had done to the people I loved and respected. It seemed my magnetism for all things dangerous had set this into motion. All I could think was, _why me?_

The trigger that had called my attention to the similarities between Tanya and Irina had been the comment 'error in judgment' but I wasn't sure why that linked it, I didn't see what linked it. I just knew there was something wrong. Soren hadn't counted on my gift, or he hadn't expected the strength of it. I was sure he'd expected us to be hung up in Denali because of Edward's false affection.

Irina herself had said that once she arrived in Forks she couldn't kill the wolves, she could bring herself to fing that anger within her anymore, how could I have been so blind?

The theory only took a second to wash through my mind, but Edward saw it all, and the gush of air that escaped his lungs told me that I was right. Tanya may of held affection for him, but she would have never stooped so low on her own, Irina, as angry as she was, as many threats as she had given would have never actually betrayed the Cullens that way. It all revolved around the smirking vampire that stood ahead of us.

"Why?" my melodic voice was high and reedy as I asked the question, Charlie moved to my side one hand on my back. The change in tone seemed to have scared him.

I hoped they would be honest, if not, I hoped Edward would pluck the truth from their minds. This was madness. I could have answered the question easily for myself, it was his loyalty to the Volturi that had made his do it. He was happy to please his masters, it made him more valuable to them. They were obviously pleased with him.

Aro smiled once again and stepped forward. "Forgive me, Bella. I understand how this looks to you, I meant no harm. The poor wolf was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

His calm even tones were menacing, I knew under the calm demeanor a true monster was biting at the bit to get what he wanted from us. The fact that he'd told us a flat out lie was even harder to swallow and I couldn't bite back my retort.

"Lies," I hissed. "You were long gone before he was attacked, you think we don't have ways of knowing this?"

"Bella," Edward's warning was low.

My eyes flickered to him once. I knew what he was saying, there was no point in angering him, and we didn't need to give away all the secrets in our cache. I bit back what I really wanted to say, instead I concentrated on bringing my fathers mind into my protective barrier, eight was a stretch, but I knew that my anger would strengthen the walls. Giving the task my concentration gave me a little relief from my anger, I could move it to the side, it made thinking easier. After all, we were trying to get out of this alive.

Felix appraised me again with a smirk, gone was the quiet victim, in her place was me, an angry vampire with vengeance driving her, the blood of a newborn running through her system creating strength that wouldn't be there otherwise. I smirked back at him, I wasn't in the mood for his games. I wanted to leave, with Charlie, but I knew we wouldn't leave without permission, so I held tight, and swallowed the insults that brimmed under the surface.

"Aro," Carlisle's voice filled the void between our family and theirs. "What brought you to such a hasty decision? What would possess you to take a human from his own world and submerge him into ours? It's against your own rules."

"Ah, Carlisle, my old friend. We live by our rules strictly, we made a hasty decision. We never imagined a human would keep our secrets so thoroughly. It was a mistake, one that proved us very wrong indeed. It seems Bella was very capable of keeping our secret as a human. We assumed that her father knew also."

"You know what they say about assumptions." Rosalie snapped.

Aro chuckled lightly. "Carlisle, your family amuses me. Such an amalgamation of characters."

Marcus stepped forward and placed a finger on Aro's palm. He still looked bored, uninterested in the scene that played out before him.

"Hmm, thank you, Marcus." he turned to us again. "Again, you have surprised Marcus with your bonds."

Again, Marcus didn't seem surprised.

"It seems you made another assumption. Aro, we are a family, we live together because we love one another. We are not a threat to you." Edward said answering Aro's thoughts.

"Yes, I see that through Marcus' gift, Edward. Yet your family continues to grow." Aro motioned to me and smiled broadly.

"Bella is the last, she is the mate Edward has chosen, there is no other need for transformation of others. We hadn't expected the bond between them, but it happened, Bella made her own choices, she made the decision long before you delivered the ultimatum, you merely placed a deadline on it. Our family is complete." Alice's trilling voice filled the space, the small scowl that covered her features showed her distrust of the old vampires in front of her.

The white haired Caius sat in his throne scowling at us, I wasn't quite sure what he was deliberating, but I knew he was reaching for something, anything that would help them win this. He didn't particularly like us, his face told each one us that, his clouded crimson eyes wore his hatred. He had already judged us, he was now trying to find a way to punish us. Our punishment would be extinction, Except those of us with gifts, he was willing to go through with this because our gifts would give them the upper hand in any battle.

"What a conundrum," Aro sang. He seemed cheered by the thought of a conflict. I guessed their mistake hadn't been an accident at all, he had counted on the fact of me keeping the secret from my father, he wanted us in this highly precarious situation. It gave them the advantage. I, however, wasn't giving up that easily.

"This is your mistake, my father was oblivious until you took it upon yourselves to interfere. You have broken your own rules, yet it seems at though you want to punish us for your mistakes."

"Hmm, yes. It was not intentional I assure you, Bella. The question now, is what to do?"

"How would you have punished us if he had of known?" I asked bluntly.

"We would have insisted that your father was changed, as it is now, it seems this would be our only option now."

"No!" I spat, "I will not punish my father for your mistakes."

"Then you have sentenced him to die." Caius stood, his filmy eyes boring into me as he paced forwards.

"Once again, for your mistakes, your assumption. Don't you find that a little hypocritical?" Edward said understanding my thoughts. I looked up to him, his arm was still safely around my waist but his eyes were on the monsters ahead of us. There was a slight frown of confusion on his brow that I couldn't understand. Had he expected them to concede easily?

Charlie moved awkwardly beside me as Caius spoke, I knew how scared he must be and my hand picked up his. He flinched at my cold skin, but the movement was involuntary, I pulled him behind me so I was the protector. Rather than the protected, for once.

"Then what do you suggest?" Aro asked in his deathly calm voice.

"You let us walk away, Bella is his child, as you know she kept her word, you swear him to the secrecy, I'm sure he will oblige. You will know if he keeps his word, or whether he breaks it, but you cannot punish him or Bella for your mistakes."

"Never!" Caius' face was contorted with rage now. "You know the rules, he must change or die."

"Then you yourselves must be punished. These are your sacrosanct rules, you must abide by them." Edward spat. His words were more confident than he seemed to be. I didn't understand.

There was a wave of growls moving through the room at this, it seemed the rules didn't apply to the Volturi themselves. We waited in silence for them to rebuke our sentence, they simply stared at us, they weren't used to be spoken to that way and our confident demeanor shocked them. Even Edward seemed a little surprised at their reaction.

"Edward . . ." Aro started.

"Are we living by a double standard then?" Emmett asked, cutting him off.

Felix stepped forward from the small formation of guards and eyed Emmett, he was sizing him up, that much was obvious. He seemed a little disturbed by Emmett's grin. Emmett wasn't easily intimidated, and I was sure Felix wasn't expecting that. Both large ment tensed themselves and fell forwards a little, it seemed physical confrontation was brinking the edge of the highly precarious edge. I just hoped I could get Charlie out of the way.

"No, No," Aro chortled nervously. He waved Felix back with a sweep of his almost translucent hand. "I'm sure there is something we can arrange."

Felix stepped back into his place and looked to Aro, Emmett straightened out of his stance, and I took a breath.

"Aro, the law . . ."

"Yes, Caius, I am aware, but it seems as though we are the rule breakers in this scenario. Be of a quiet mind brother, we must appease this situation."

Caius snarled but fell into the seat behind him, well, drifted was more appropriate.

"Perhaps a vote . . ." Aro suggested, "Marcus?"

Marcus didn't raise an eyebrow at the calling of his name, he sat as still as he had been. "We broke the rules, but we also made them, perhaps we could make an exception."

"Indeed," laughed Aro, there was a slight edge to the sound. "Caius?"

"We cannot trust a human to keep a burden such as this to himself, we must take action against this, we have set the foundation, we have upheld the law, Marcus stated we made the law, I am fervently aware we broke it, but if we keep this human alive, everything we have worked for could be destroyed. Perhaps, if this coven disagree with the choices we offer, perhaps we should remove them all."

A ripping snarl arose from my throat, Caius' arrogance was far beyond my expectations. His thirst for power was his driving force, our challenge of their rule breaking had him flexing his muscles of authority. I saw the mistake we had made, we had walked into the lions den with no witness, there was nothing to prove the injustice that was to be served here. We would die, and there would be no one to tell the vampire populace of the tyranny these ancients were capable of. There would be no justice for the slaughter of Sam. We would all die here for nothing.

Charlie took a step away from me but never released my hand.

"Easy, Bella." Jasper sent a wave of calm over me, it wasn't one I particularly wanted, but I was creating a thicker atmosphere than was needed. Charlie was also too close for me to lose my temper, I clung to the calm as this awareness hit me.

"Perhaps a compromise is in order?" Aro's calm once again caused a shudder to run through me. I didn't trust him when his voice was low, it was calculating, full of malice. It was hiding the real thoughts that ran through his mind. It hid his motives, one I seemed to be all to aware of. A blade of ice traveled down the length of my spine.

"No!" Edward's word slid through his teeth. His anger worried me, he had always been relatively level headed when in audience of the ancient brothers.

"What is it?" Carlisle asked, he was obviously as unnerved as I was at the response Edward had given Aro's thoughts.

"His _compromise_ is more comparative to blackmail. He wants at least Alice and Bella to join his family in exchange for Charlie's life."

Alice and I looked at one another. There wasn't a lot I wouldn't do to save Charlie, but could I do the unspeakable and join the ranks of the Volturi? I would never ask Alice to do this, but could I? Edward wouldn't allow it, and if it was my only option he would follow me. I couldn't allow that either. I shuddered to think how they would abuse our talents, all of this revolved around their greed for domination. Yet, I couldn't let Charlie lose his life or mortality over this. Would they let us leave if we promised to change him, they had already commented on the size of our family, wouldn't adding another defeat the purpose of that?

In reality, it was let Charlie die or become a member of the Volturi myself and suffer for eternity while killing the innocent vampires that possessed something the Volturi wanted. My thought process went back to the way I used to think as a human, which could I live with? The answer was neither. I was stuck, we were stuck, the third option was to fight and there was no way of winning.

Edward's eyes held mine as he listened to my thoughts, his eyes were so full of pain, he knew as well as I did that we were out of options. Yet I saw a spark of hope flutter through his eyes, it was quick and almost untraceable, but it was there. His eyes darted to the other side of the room again before connecting with mine once again. The hope was back, but it seemed as though he was weighing the consequences.

"Aro," Edward's voice rang across the room clearly, his eyes once again moved to the dominant side of the room. "Will you give us time to consider this, will you allow us to return to our home as a family and consider the compromise you have laid down for us?"

"Ah, Edward, you can see where that would be difficult for me to agree to, it would not be advantageous for us to agree to such a request."

Of course it wouldn't, it would be a stupid mistake for them to make, even as an enemy I had to give them that. Our lives were up for grabs here and now, if they gave up that advantage we could turn on them in an instant. I wasn't sure where this was going but I kept my mouth shut and watched as Edward's eyes flickered across the line of enemies.

"How about you sending some of your guard to join us then?"

I frowned at my husband, it appeared he had lost his mind.

"There are no guarantees that you wouldn't attack them. Please, Edward, you must understand how impossible your requests are?"

"Where would we go Aro? Bella cannot keep her barrier up forever, Demetri would find us easily, you have the manpower to scour the deepest corners of the earth for us, where would we go?"

"Do you think your location is all we consider?" Caius mused. "You could build an army against us."

"You think us so influential?" Carlisle answered. "You have ruled our kind for longer than my memory serves me do you think others would be so easily swayed?"

We were using their vanity and arrogance against them now, the question was would it work? Even if it did, what good would it do? At this point it seemed almost cruel to put off the inevitable.

"Carlisle . . ." Aro's voice was full of his indecision.

We stood silently watching the three elders and the small amount of guard that had congregated. Aro stood watching us with a fascination, Caius looked simply murderous, and Marcus, true to form looked bored of it all.

"I will go with them master, if it pleases you of course." Demetri spoke in his smooth accented voice.

Aro looked around at the large vampire, his perfect features were expressionless as his master appraised him.

"I too will go if it pleases you master." Felix said, his eyes once again appraising me. A small smirk danced over his lips as he considered the possibility.

"Ah, Felix," the was amusement in the vampire's voice as he considered the request. "As much as I trust you, I think you could end up on the wrong side of this family."

Aro seemed he had made a decision. One I had not expected him to make, he had already stated that it would be a disadvantage to him. He was foolish in his vanity, Edward and Carlisle had laid down the gauntlet and he had willingly taken it. I certainly wasn't complaining, but it seemed almost idiotic to me. It wasn't as though there was anyone to witness this insult.

"Perhaps, Demetri and Felix then."

Felix threw a knowing smirk at me and stepped forward beside Demetri. My mouth almost fell open in shock, I couldn't understand what was going on, were we really walking away from this situation alive, it wasn't a complete solution, there would be a timeline. What had Edward heard to make him even attempt this? I hoped he had a plan, I hoped that he knew what he was doing. There was a chance that none of us would make it out alive if he was wrong. Edward's arm tightened around my waist.

"I will give you a month to make your decision Carlisle, and of course, Mr. Swan. You would be wise to continue your day to day life and keep the secret we are entrusting to you."

"My father is a man of his word, Aro." I countered.

"I expect word within a month . . . Demetri, a word." Aro ignored my comment and eyed Caius.

Demetri nodded and followed Aro from the room. I wasn't sure what this meant, or what our plan was, but I hoped it was good. Caius' eyes scanned our small group that stood ahead of him, I knew that he didn't like this, but it seemed his pride was as strong as Aro's, he trusted his stature in the vampire world too wholly to believe it could be crushed. They could be right, I still had no idea of our plan, and it would be impossible to speak to my family with Felix and Demetri shadowing us.

We waited in silence. Slight nudging at the walls of the shield had my eyes scanning the line of guards. Jane was concentrating, her eyes narrowed in my direction as her lips twitched over her sharp teeth. She was frustrated and I could see that. I smiled sweetly at the girl. I felt free to taunt her now, she was free game. Her masters had just given us a stay, one I hoped we would use wisely, though I still didn't know why.

Jane's shoulders hunched forward as she slinked into a crouch, her teeth fully bared at us. Alec tried to calm her by pulling her out of the crouch, but the girl was focused. Caius' eyes followed the small figure as she shook with anger and impatience. As slowly and quietly, he looked the other way. I hoped Edward would remove Charlie from the situation if it turned into a fight. I would hate for him to be so close to a fight of that proportion. I freed myself from his arms and narrowed my eyes, a small smirk dancing below the surface of my anger.

The side door opened with a slight creak and Demetri reappeared and nodded at Felix. The two of them moved swiftly to our side of the room. Aro reappeared looking exultant. His eyes scanned the scene ahead of him and he glided towards his dear Jane.

"Now, now, dear one. You mustn't lose your head. These are our guests."

I eyed him wearily and straightened up. I refused to push my luck anymore than I already had. My gaze then moved slowly towards Demetri.

"I hope I will see you all again soon." Aro sang.

"It's seems that it's become a necessity, does it not?" Edward said, no trace if a smile on his face.

"Ah, Edward. It will all work out for the best."

"For who, Aro?"

"Follow me." Demetri said and started out of the room. We each followed him, while Felix stayed where he was so he could follow behind us.

Edward came to the side unoccupied by my father and wrapped his arm around my waist again. I didn't know how we'd gotten away with it, but it seemed as though we had, for now. I just hoped that Edward had a master plan up his sleeve, otherwise Alice and I would be choosing life or death.

It concerned me though, so many faceless soldiers and they chose their tracker and strongest fighter to follow us, I wasn't sure what their strategy was, but I was sure it was a mistake. Charlie stuck close to my side as we made our way through the building, I was sure he was still discombobulated by the whole thing. His mouth fell open and closed numerous times before I felt compelled to help him.

"Dad, I know you have questions, and I'll answer every one of them for you when we get home, but this is something you can never speak of, the Volturi are serious about this."

"What about you and Alice, Bells?"

"We'll figure something out, we always do."

"How long have you known?"

"Later Dad."

"Right." he grumbled shuffling forwards. His eyes traced everyone around him. He was literally surrounded by vampires.

We silently followed the large Vampire to the elevator again. My mind ran over what had happened. I came to get Charlie, and I had sworn I would not leave without him alive. Somehow we'd managed that much, but I wasn't sure how. There had been no vindication for the murder of Sam, but I had a feeling his murderer was among us now. I would happily give the wolves free reign there. What was Edward's plan? He could hear every thought running through my head, but could neither confirm nor deny any of my speculation, especially with Felix literally breathing down our necks.

It all seemed surreal to me, but the oppressive state I arrived in had not diminished. There was, however, a bud of hope. Charlie was alive, and he would stay that way if I made the right decision. I had selfishly denied Aro of what he asked for because I couldn't put Edward through that. I was stuck between two choices, I stood to lose from either one.

If I had to join the Volturi, I would not allow Edward to follow, he was too pure for that, and Alice had been dragged into this mess with me, but I hoped, if it came down to it that I could bargain for her freedom, but what else did I have to offer?

* * *

**A/N: Did you guess it right? Okay, so you may have been surprised by the outcome, but I will give you a little hint of the future, what you wanted to happen here will happen . . . I hope we're on the same page here lol.**

**Some more good news, this story was nominated for The Breaking Dawn Round of the Twilight awards, the categories are . . . Best Alternate Breaking Dawn and Best Angst/Drama (M). I was so surprised, and a little giddy too lol. I am such a lame ass sometimes lol.**

**Thanks for the Alerts and Faves, and THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS . . . YOU GUYS ARE SO FUNNY, SOME OF THEM HAD ME GIGGLING . . . YOU REALLY DO ROCK!! **

**BIG HUGZ -L-**


	18. Chapter 18

_**All things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

* * *

**Chapter 19 - Tacit**

Our group was silent as we left the reception area of the building, to my estimation it was still the early hours of the morning, it gave us the cover we needed to move around in the open air. I was huddled into Edward's side but I held on to Charlie's hand, I could feel the warmth of his skin as his fingers grasped tightly onto mine. The silence made his heartbeat more prominent in my ears, the sound of his blood flowing through his body, the shallow breaths he was taking in his nervous state. There was absolutely no desire to feed from him though, had this been what Edward had gone through, the fear of losing had become so painful that your own instincts shied from the act itself?

"Exactly." Edward mumbled under his breath.

I looked up at him and smiled, his eyes were full of remorse. As much as I hated to remember the months alone, I knew in my heart that it made our love stronger, because we knew, without a doubt, that we could not live without the other. We were two halves of a whole.

The cars Alice had rented for us were gone and replaced by two passenger vans. We still wouldn't be able to share a vehicle, but there was now enough room for the growth of the group. Drivers, obviously Volturi minions were sat in the drivers seats waiting to take us to our destination. I just wasn't sure where that would be.

I climbed into the first van with Edward and Charlie, not relinquishing my hold on either of them, I couldn't. I felt as though separation from either would shatter me into a million tiny pieces, I felt fragile, even more so than I did when I was human. Emotionally, I was breaking apart, my only glue was the two men I was sat between. On some level it annoyed me, I wasn't supposed to be this fragile anymore, I wasn't supposed to break apart at the first sign of stress, I was supposed to be Superman.

I tried sucking up my emotions as Alice, Jasper and Demetri filled the remainder of the space in the van, but Jasper shot me a careful look. I knew he was worried about me, but I couldn't let him make this easier for me. I needed to be on my toes, alert and ready for anything. The Volturi had sent two of the strongest members of the guard with us. There seemed to be only one resolution to that.

Edward's hand gripped mine tighter. He didn't like my train of thought. At least that was my first inclination. His exaggerated exhale indicated something more.

I almost felt relief that it was Demetri in the van with us, I didn't think I could deal with Felix and his snide comments. I was close to the edge and I didn't need to be pushed any farther. We settled ourselves into the seats. The van took off slowly at first but picked up speed as we reached the entrance and the ominous portcullis.

I had no idea where we were going, but I knew we weren't headed towards the airport in Florence, I doubted the Volturi used such means of transportation, with their diet, the recycled air would be too much of a temptation. I had no idea what we were going to do, but I was sure there had to be some small shimmer of hope, or Edward would never have suggested stretching out the inevitable. The first thing to would be setting Charlie back up in his regular life, we needed a story for his disappearance. The wolves knew what had really happened, which meant Charlie's friends in La Push would know what happened, but the residents of Forks, and the couple of officers Charlie had under him in the small town, would need an explanation.

The countryside passed us quickly as we sped into the dark nothingness. It was a beautiful country, but it had been tainted by my fear of the Volturi. I watched as the rolling countryside gave way to small farms and cottages. The green was different here, it sprawled out over the land rather than providing walls on all four sides, it rolled to the horizon rather than blocking the view of it.

I heard the noise before I saw it, the noise was distinct, but it lingered at a distance. The only thing louder was the beating of Charlie's heart. My eyes scoured the lines of the country as I tried to focus on the distance, I looked for some small break in the sprawling fields that would indicate where the noise was coming from. The small blinking lights were my first emblematic confirmation, they blinked in a pattern almost the same as warning lights would. I watched as we steadily approached, their intensity grew slowly, but when they began multiplying, there was no denying what was laid out in front of us. It was an airfield.

The thought of a private plane wasn't as repulsive as it should have been to me, once again my selfish side welcomed the chance to get home sooner, the small craft would surely need regular refueling before reaching our goal, and the thought of being in such a confined space with Felix was even more repugnant to me, but I still couldn't hold back my enthusiasm for home.

We were in the air quickly, I could only conclude that the plane was always this prepared, there couldn't possibly be a way that the Volturi had foreseen this. I once again sat in a position where I could touch both Edward and Charlie. I was curled up in Edward's lap, and Charlie was sat beside us. I encouraged him to sleep, I wasn't sure how much he'd been able to get while he was in that hell hole. He looked tired too. I tried to relax and give him a false sense of security, eventually I gave Jasper a nod, his calm was targeted directly at Charlie. It wasn't long before he was nodding off, his breathing leveled out and his snore filled the cabin.

That's when my thoughts began to roam. We were in a maladroit position. We were free in some cases but forced to live with a guard while we made our decisions. There was no silver lining as far as I could see. If the wolves saw the men that were traveling with us they would act in a moment of vengeance, one I couldn't deny them, but one that would bring a war down on our heads.

"Stop," Edward murmured under his breath.

"Stop, what?"

"Stop pushing yourself into corners."

"I see no other way,"

"Trust me?" Edward asked, but my eyes caught Felix watching us, so I nodded rather than verbalized my response.

Edward's eyes followed mine, it was obvious why I'd stopped responding. He pulled me closer to him, still weary of the thoughts he could hear.

I stayed in his arms for the entire flight, not moving once, Charlie was only stirred once when we refueled in a small airport in Plymouth, England. There was a hospital close by, the scent of blood emanating from it was making the two Volturi guards uncomfortable, but they abstained and stayed on the plane.

Charlie had stretched his limbs in his seat, refusing to move further from us because of the wild look that Felix had in his eye. His eyes would occasionally scan over Charlie with a hungry look. It made us all uncomfortable. So I tried to distract Charlie.

"So, we need a story to tell the people why you were gone without any warning, Dad, any idea's?"

Charlie sat silently as he thought about it. The small station had only three officers in it, and I was sure that they would have expected some explanation for his absence, Charlie hadn't missed a day of work except for his vacations in California with me. There had always been plenty of warning before those.

"Well, maybe I could say that you were in an accident of some sort and took off quickly. They won't question that, but Sam might be difficult on that account, I just gave him a job, he was supposed to start training the day after I was taken. He'll know somethings not right because Jacob would know whether you were sick or not."

My breath caught in my throat, I hadn't known that Sam had planned to join the Forks police department, and it dawned on me that Charlie didn't know about Sam and the others being the wolves we were talking about, or that the Volturi had murdered Sam."

"Charlie," Edward took up the conversation from here. We all knew too well what happened when I spoke about it. I still hadn't come to terms with it at all. "There are some things you should know about your friends in La Push."

Charlie's head whipped towards Felix and back at us. "The vampires didn't . . ." his voice trailed off as his imagination stormed out of control.

"Let me finish, Charlie. Vampires aren't the only anomaly in Forks. The Quileute boys are werewolves, they shift into wolves to protect their people when vampires are near. We had a treaty with them to keep the peace, we don't feed from humans like the people who took you, so they gave us a stay on the promise that we stick to our unusual diet. Bella, being close with Jacob, has created a friendship between the two species." Edward smiled at me thoughtfully. "You're daughter is quite amazing, she crushed a feud that's been held for centuries."

I would've rolled my eyes, but I knew what was coming next. This wasn't the time for the theatrics I normally fell into when Edward was praising me.

"Wolves," Charlie's eyes widened. "The wolves that were attacking the hikers was Jacob and the Quileutes?"

"No, Dad. They were trying to protect the hikers. There was a nomadic vampire in the forest killing the hikers and the wolves were trying to catch her before she could kill anyone else, or get to her target."

"Target?"

"Me."

Charlie's mouth fell open. "But . . ."

"Dad," I cut him off gently. "There's plenty of time to tell you all of that, but now isn't the right time."

He nodded and looked back at Edward. "Wolves, right, go on." I could see how difficult this all was for him, he had always been so logical. The sudden realization that myths and legends were all true, was probably a hard one for him to swallow.

"The wolves have been protecting you for a while, do you remember when my family and I left?"

Charlie nodded. "I have questions about that, but I can wait."

"Well, that was when Bella discovered the wolves and they started protecting the two of you, they included you in their daily sweep, Forks isn't part of their territory but they considered you and Bella family. Even when we returned they continued to include the house in their patrols. They just gave it a wider berth."

Charlie's eyes were wide with wonder. "Does Billy know any of this?"

"He knows everything, Dad. You remember when Jacob was hurt and Billy was acting funny?"

"The wolves, that's right they were howling."

"They were letting Billy know something happened."

Charlie started to form another question but I cut in gently, "I'll explain later."

Charlie nodded.

Edward's tone became more somber now, and I couldn't look anywhere other than my hands.

"Sam was the Alpha of the pack, the day you were taken, he was patrolling alone because of the vampire they were watching. He picked up the scent of the vampires mingled in with yours and followed it, he was concerned about your safety. They were waiting for him, and, well . . ."

Charlie's face grew contorted with the horror, he'd put the pieces together.

"He didn't make it, Charlie."

A deep chuckle came from the other end of the cabin and my head snapped in the direction. Felix, stood in the door where the pilots were, was smiling broadly. There was a commotion on the other side of the plane but I couldn't take my eyes from the dark haired vampire in front of me. The edge I was trying to stay away from came closer to me, I could feel my muscles bunching ready for the spring. Edward's arms tightened around my waist, and my fathers warm hand squeezed mine.

I knew I had to calm down, Charlie was so close to me and we were in such a small area, I averted my eyes to the noise that had filled the small space. It was evident what I had missed, Rosalie and Jasper were holding Emmett in his seat, Emmett was glaring at Felix with so much ferocity I immediately felt intimidated. I had never seen Emmett this angry before.

"The big black dog put up a good fight, too." Felix was pushing us now, but something else caught my eye as I turned to look at him. Demetri was sat in a seat facing us, he was two rows in front of Felix. He looked disgusted, completely and thoroughly disgusted.

A guttural snarl escaped dainty Alice's lips as he boasted, she'd never been particularly fond of the wolves, but like the rest of my family, she had come to respect him and his pack. Sam had died trying to protect Charlie, and Alice did love Charlie, she wouldn't stand for any bad words spoken about him now. In her eyes, he was an honorable creature.

"Feisty, I like feisty women." Felix's eyebrows rose as his eyes assessed Alice. Now the cabin was filling with anger, it was almost palpable, a bitter taste in each of our mouths.

"Felix, shut up and sit down before I let them pull you to pieces." Demetri's voice was calm and dangerous. His eyes were facing forwards and there was no expression on his face at all.

The smug smile fell from Felix's face at Demetri's words. He didn't like being contradicted in front of us, but he wouldn't go up against his only ally.

My eyes finally reached Charlie again as I settled in Edward's lap. He was watching the scene in front of him with a plethora of emotions on display. There was obvious disgust at Felix's nonchalance of his murderous act, but there was also awe and respect for my family. We had reacted the way he'd wanted to. Then there was the pain, he'd lost a friend, a bodyguard, and a member of his extended Quileute family.

"She was so small . . ." he stuttered staring at the back of the seat in front of him. "She was crying, telling me her father had been attacked by bears. She was so distraught . . . There were so many of them, all in dark cloaks. They were waiting for me, they knew my name . . ."

"Dad, this is not your fault, you were doing your job."

"Emily? They were going to get married . . ."

"Easy, Charlie." Carlisle appeared from a couple of rows in front of us and knelt next to Charlie. His hands held Charlie's other hand. "I want you to keep talking to me okay. I don't need you going into shock. You're hearts beating too quickly and your blood pressure is rising. I need you to take deep breaths and calm yourself down for me."

Charlie nodded, but I could hear the differences Carlisle had noticed. The blood was being pushed around his body too quickly and his heart was pounding in his chest. His breathing was coming in small spurts, ragged and torn.

"Dad, do you remember the last time we went to California? Before I moved here?"

Charlie looked at me like I was certifiable but he nodded.

"Do you remember the secret that I was keeping and wouldn't tell you. You thought that I was angry with you. Do you remember that?"

Charlie's breath started to even out as he concentrated on my words, his heart began slowing gently.

"I was never angry at you, Dad. I loved you, I was upset that we had so little time together. I hated that I felt so awkward around you because so much of me came from you. I was angry because you were going back to Forks, I wanted so badly for you to leave there."

"Bella . . ." Charlie was completely back to normal now and I took a deep breath.

"I know why you didn't, I know now. I've wanted to tell you that for a while now, but I never had the chance."

Charlie pulled on my hand and caught me in his chest, pulling me close. My head landed with my control on his shoulder. Carlisle winked at me quickly before stepping away.

"I love you too, Bells. I never told you enough, did I?"

"S'cuz I always knew. Just like you know how much I love you." My voice was thick with emotions.

At any other time this scene would have been awkward, but it was so easy now. Charlie and I seemed to have grasped the desperation of the situation, and we didn't care that, for once, our emotions were laid out on the table. It was an honest moment. he sat holding my hand with both of his after that, I knew he needed the support, he wanted to mourn.

Felix was silent for the rest of the journey, he didn't interfere with any conversation that picked up, he sat silently glaring at Demetri. It occurred to me then that Demetri must outrank Felix somehow, they wore the same color cloaks but the distinction was lost on me. I didn't much care for the inner workings of the guard, and I hoped I would never find out.

We didn't speak much either, we couldn't say anything we wanted to in front of the two men from the guard, but the atmosphere was thick, we knew the discussion that would have to come eventually, and we all hoped we could avoid that.

Charlie silently mourned the death of Sam, I didn't realize that he'd become so attached to the alpha of the pack, I hadn't even known Sam had applied for a job at the station. Had it been an attempt to secure a future for his unborn child? A child who would be better looked after than any other, but would never meet it's father.

Edward's hand ran up and down my back in soothing motions, I hated that he had to hear these thoughts, but I wasn't sure how safe it would be to release them all now. Demetri and Felix were too close and although the barrier wouldn't keep them safe from physical attacks, I still couldn't shake the paranoia that they were hiding something, that they would attack us if I showed one moment of weakness.

As we descended, I realized we were landing in Forks Airport. I had never flown directly into Forks before, but I knew that the plane we were in now was what the airport was intended for. The weather didn't disappoint either, there was a heavy cloud cover hanging over the town and the rain fell in a mist. The jade of the trees looked serene from this height, everything looked so rich, I couldn't help but stare. How could I have hated Forks so much? It was beautiful, the distant hint of the mountainous peaks, the thick green that covered everything, the rain that intensified every color. Nothing would every be this beautiful or welcoming to me.

The plane touched down on the wet tarmac gently, the pilot was so obviously a vampire, I had never been in a plane with so little resistance as it met the ground. Would we be forced to accept the pilots company as well? I doubted the wolves would appreciate that too much.

Edward stiffened in the chair next to me.

"We can't let any of the wolves see Felix yet." I barely heard the words so I knew that no one else could have possibly made it out.

'_Yet? You mean eventually they will meet him, they will get their vengeance?_' I thought deliberately.

Edward nodded once, his eyes on Felix.

What did it mean? Why would the wolves get their chance? Wouldn't Demetri warn them about the betrayal?

"Later, my love." Edward said kissing my neck gently. He was answering my thoughts casually, as though I had asked him to simply hand me the remote. My eyes lifted and I caught Felix watching us in my peripheral vision.

Talking would be tricky with him around.

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**A/N: Hi guys . . . Okay so I am super excited about the next chapter . . . once again I really don't want to spoil it for you so I am zipping it! **

**To be honest this chapter was to let Charlie know about the wolves and set the stage for the next chapter, it took a little ground work, but I am happy to say it worked out, I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but then I read something that helped everything fall into place better than I could have ever imagine. It was the original, but . . . well you'll find out lol.**

**Thank you for all the alerts and Faves, and THANK YOU REVIEWERS, YOU GUYS ROCK . . . SERIOUSLY!**

**BIG HUGZ -L-**


	19. Chapter 19

_**All things Twilight belong to the Awesomely awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

* * *

**Chapter 20 - Insurrection**

The house seemed so lonely and cold. We had taken a cab to the end of the driveway, and run the rest of the way. Charlie had continued home so he could lay the foundation of the lie. He was hesitant to say goodbye as we climbed out of the cab, it was almost as though he expected us to disappear.

We had decided that my sickness would explain his disappearance and cover some of my physical changes. He would announce my homecoming. The pride of his only daughter attending Dartmouth would have to wait for now. He wasn't too disappointed, that I had been accepted had been enough for him, especially now he knew the truth.

He had so many questions, I didn't need Edward's abilities to know this, his face was as easy to read as mine had been. I would have to get into some details to explain some things I knew he wouldn't particularly like, there were also things I would never tell him, simply because he didn't need to know, things like Edward spending every night in my room since I had met him. there was no excuse for that other than pure desire. For now though, he would have to wait until I officially '_came home from the hospital_.'

Felix and Demetri appraised the house as we approached, we'd been gone for three days but the rain caused the grass to grow quickly giving it the appearance of a longer vacancy. It looked nothing like it had when I had ventured here after the family left for those long months, it was, to me still presentable, I had seen it worse. I hadn't realized how much I had missed the place until now, I hadn't realized how much I thought of it as home.

I could see the disappointment on Esme's face, as she assessed the grass surrounding the house, she hated seeing her home looking so uncared for. Her house was her crowing glory, she took so much pride in her home that seeing it even slightly out of it usual splendor filled her with the need to get to work. I knew she was just itching to sort out the grass, I could see her eyes darting the the garage as we approached the house. Under any other circumstances I would have reassured her and tackled the mower myself, but now was not the time.

Demetri and Felix flanked us on either side as we traveled, I was between Edward and Emmett so I felt protected and out of reach from the assessing eyes of Felix. Demetri made me nervous too but it was nothing compared to the feelings I got from Felix. He was menacing and enjoyed instigating problems, he seemed to thrive on violence alone. He seemed to be constantly calculating, looking at situations and finding the best target to push.

Esme flicked on the lights as we entered the house, the rooms thankfully looked the same. They gave off the comfort we all needed, the familiarity that instantly made us relax. I wanted to disappear from the ever watchful eyes of Felix, but I knew that they were still a little nervous about being outnumbered and out of their territory, so I stayed by Edward's side.

We sat together on the couch as the two vampires wandered around the house. It was unusual for any vampire other than the Volturi to stay in one place long enough to call it home. Most traveled and moved from place to place, it was their personal choice, it made them feel safe. This house was a rarity in the vampire world.

"You have a nice home." Demetri's accented voice filled the familiar rooms with sound. My body reacted with a shudder. I hated that we housed the enemy, it was another reminder of the decisions we would have to make. Their tall frames seemed to create menacing shadows on the walls, and their cloaks swirled around the rooms as the moved, the gentle swish of the fabric was ominous.

There was an awkwardness in the air having the two men in the house. Not one of us knew what to do or how to act, we weren't even able to discuss what we wanted to in private, one of them would always be around. I still wasn't sure why Edward had insisted on our home coming and it frustrated me that as long as Felix and Demetri were around I wouldn't find out. Alice and Edward exchanged knowing glances occasionally, signifying their silent discussion. Both of them seemed to know what was coming.

"We need to discuss hunting arrangements," Demetri said, I was surprised by his politeness. Even though he had been thoroughly polite since our arrival in Italy, I was sure, at some point he would drop the charade.

"Ah, yes. We would ask that you try and hunt out of state. We have a comfortable home here and we have made friends in the area. Of course you are welcome to use any of our vehicles." Carlisle's voice was aptly apologetic but full of authority as he made his request.

Felix rose his eyebrows, "What are our choices?"

"You can go to the garage yourself and pick out a car, just let us know what keys you need."

Felix looked enthused, but Demetri simply nodded his thanks.

"Felix, would you like to go first or should I? With the human traffic in the area I think it would be best to keep ourselves satisfied."

"I'll go first, let me pick out a vehicle and I'll be on my way." Felix's voice was a sneer as he spun towards the door. He disappeared from the room, yet no one said a word. I knew that the antagonistic vampire would chose one of the more exotic vehicles, it seemed to be par for the course. Felix returned quickly, a smirk spread across his chiseled features.

"The red Ferrari?"

Of course it would be my car, I sighed and made my way to the drawer where I kept my keys. I threw them at him before retreating to Edward's side. Felix laughed and eyed me up and down once. "Would you like to accompany me, Bella. It is your car after all."

I heard the low growl emitting from Edward, and the rest of the Cullens. "No, I don't think I could stop myself from hurting you, Felix."

Felix laughed callously, the sound lingered even after he'd left the room. We stood silently listening to the car as it roared to life, the gentle purr of the engine as the gears shifted, and finally the tires signifying it's departure. I felt part of myself relax.

"Demetri," Edward's voice surprised me as he addressed the Italian vampire. There was a friendly tone that I hadn't expected. "Now we're alone, would you mind explaining?"

Demetri looked around the room at the vampires surrounding him. A genuine smile spread across his features as he took in the shocked faces of those who hadn't expected it. "I think I should give you the reasoning before laying out the possibilities."

"Edward?" Carlisle's voice was full of surprise.

"None of that was my idea." Edward said quickly. "Demetri has been speaking with me from the time he greeted us at the door. Alice saw parts of his plan, but couldn't anchor them down because we hadn't made a decision. I took a chance and trusted him."

"I feel I should explain why before we go any further." Demetri stated simply.

"Please do." Carlisle said offering the vampire a seat and taking one of his own. We all followed suit and sat in our respective groupings.

"I was changed in 1367 by Marcus, I won't go into too many details but he knew I would be an asset to their guard. They'd been having trouble with the Romanians and were building their army to keep their hold on Volterra. Marcus wanted me as a bodyguard for his wife Didyme. Didyme was Aro's biological sister, he changed her himself after he had grown accustomed to his immortality. She fell in love with Aro's closest comrade, Marcus. Didyme was beautiful in so many ways, and she made Marcus truly happy."

I raised my eyebrows and Demetri smiled.

"He hasn't always been so passive, if you knew him then you would have seen how charismatic he was. We developed quite a friendship. He trusted me infallibly. I was strong and my affinity for tracking meant I could always find Didyme if she wandered too far. Their happiness made Marcus lose his thirst for domination, he no longer cared for governing the vampire world as it was, it took too much of his time with Didyme from him."

"I caught Aro's eye also, he found my tracking abilities to been useful, and he saw how advantageous it would be for him if I became a member of the guard rather than just protecting a wife. That was a typical move for Aro, he would constantly put himself above others, his selfishness created many conflicts. I tried to refuse, I was after all, a most loyal servant to Marcus, but Aro was insistant."

"Marcus wasn't happy about Aro's use of me, it would leave Didyme unprotected for long periods of time. She had a gift, she would project happiness to those around her, she was loved by all of the guard. Yet Marcus seemed to realize the danger that surrounded her."

"He made the decision to leave the Volturi and concentrate on his life with his wife. Aro wasn't happy but agreed to let Marcus leave the brotherhood, he gave them his blessing."

"Aro was setting up an army, there were rumors of gifted vampires in northern Russia. No one knew where to find them so he commissioned me to track them."

"On my return, the whole castle was in mourning, Didyme had been murdered, no one knew who had done it, but they had escaped. Marcus was empty, he asked me to track who had killed her, he was torn between vengeance and grief. It was difficult, I had nothing to go on other than the room she was murdered in, there were too many scents to distinguish any one that stood out."

"Eventually I got a lead, but I was forced to drop it. I knew without a doubt who had murdered Didyme then, but I was tied. I hadn't realized, until recently, how."

"Tied? I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure I understand?" Esme said gently.

"The vampire I had been sent to track in Russia, was a female named Chelsea. I wasn't aware of her ability, just that Aro had a need for her. I recently discovered what her talent was. In 1895, Aro came with us on a routine disciplinary mission, I couldn't understand why, he doesn't often leave Volterra for something so routine. He gave a pardon to a vampire there, a vampire with a gift, it had been his intention all along. He bonded that vampire to us, using Chelsea. His mistake was to do it in front of me. He has done so many times since."

The room was completely silent, lost in Demetri's story. I could see each of the family putting together the story and trying to figure out what part we had in all of this.

"It was how he kept Marcus and I bonded to the Volturi, both of us would have taken our leave after Didyme's death, we no longer had a passion to be part of what Aro had created. Yet we felt obligated. Marcus is the only master I answer to, and when Aro revealed Chelsea's gift, things began falling into place."

"Are you saying . . .?" Carlisle started but couldn't finish.

"Yes, Aro had murdered his sister to keep Marcus with him. Marcus' gift was too important for Aro to lose, he needed the strength of unity and his sister threatened that by taking Marcus from the Volturi. I had, like I said before, suspected Aro of his sisters murder, but was forced to drop the investigation when I got too close. With Aro reading Marcus' mind so frequently, I could not risk telling Marcus of Aro's betrayal."

"That's horrible. His own sister, he murdered his own sister for domination?" Esme looked slightly sickened by the thought of such a monstrosity.

"Yes, it is, and it was a huge loss to our kind when he did so. As the centuries passed, Marcus never regained his charisma, he was how he is now, Aro began only picking what he needed from his mind, and I knew that I would have the chance to talk with Marcus about this. There is a divide among the guard, those of us who knew Didyme and remember Marcus as he was have pledged our allegiance to him alone."

"Aro has no knowledge of this?" Carlisle asked.

"No, we have been very careful, as I said, I have known this for a while now, our meticulous panning has been going on for over a century, we're sure Aro has no idea. Marcus has been planning revenge for over a century now, he was waiting for the perfect moment, and this seems to be it."

"So where do we come in to all of this?" Edward asked pulling me tighter into his side.

"When you came to the Volturi, asking to be destroyed because you believed you lost Bella, When you and Bella entered that chamber, it was the first time since Marcus lost Didyme that he saw hope, the bond between the two of you is stronger than anything he's ever seen. He wasn't sure what Aro would do, so he did nothing."

"This all depended on Aro's actions towards us? Why?" Alice asked quietly.

"Marcus knew that you would follow through on your word, Aro's belief in Alice's vision cemented that for him, Aro doesn't often let thing like that pass unless there is a guarantee of completion. Marcus, had an idea that Aro would try and acquire your talents, but when he let you go, Marcus knew he would go deeper eventually."

"When Soren returned with news of Bella's gift, Aro made his decision to act offensively, he would leave the decision making to Caius because he knew Alice would be looking for decisions from him. The callousness of Aro's decision was what tipped the scale, Marcus, though he trusted my assessment, didn't want to believe the truth of what I had told him, when he gave Aro the information of your bond, it was a test, Aro did not pass."

"So what was it that changed his mind completely?" Rosalie asked sitting forwards in her seat.

"Every member of the Volturi and the guard are aware of your existence, they all know your choices, and though we may not understand them, we are intrigued. Marcus was more curious than most, but he never let Aro know. You are living the life he wanted with Didyme, maybe not the diet, but the family aspect is what he had hoped for."

"After you left Volterra, Aro began putting his plan into action. He sent Soren to create a diversion in Alaska, and he sent one of the women here for revenge to create a diversion for the wolves. He knew that taking Bella's father would have you following us to Italy, he'd hoped the wolves would follow you."

"I picked that up too." Edward said stiffly. "He wanted them as guard dogs much to Caius' dismay."

"Marcus knows how strong you are as a family, he can see those bonds so he took his chance, and set his plan in motion. He asked me to find a loop hole in your executions, which is why I told Edward to stall, and hurt their pride if necessary. He wants Alice and Bella the most, so he changed his tactics, using Mr. Swan as a bargaining chip only helped Marcus and I."

"So what is this plan?" I asked.

"We will give Felix to the wolves, his presence here will not help anything, he is loyal to Aro. Aro asked me to report to him daily so there will be no complications there, I will tell him what he wants to hear. Marcus is hoping you will stand with him against the tyranny."

"He wants us to fight?" Edward asked. The surprise in his voice was reflected in each of our faces.

"He would like for you to gather all of your friends, anyone you can find that is in any way against the Volturi, even the wolves. When we are ready, I will stop all communication with Aro. He will bring the entire castle with him for mutiny such as that. Marcus has many loyal to him, he wouldn't ask you to fight unless completely necessary. Bella's gift is what would win this for us. If we can get around Jane and Alec, the battle is won. You wouldn't be expected to physically fight unless Marcus' men begin to fall."

"You want us to help you overthrow the Volturi?" Emmett asked.

"Yes,"

Emmett's laugh filled the room and his smile was broad.

"Can you guarantee us peace, if Marcus is victorious?" Carlisle asked seriously.

"Absolutely, the Volturi would be completely dissolved, Marcus has given us all our own destiny's. I will stay with Marcus, I believe he will rule judiciously."

I sat in silence contemplating everything that had been laid out before me, Aro had murdered his own sister to keep Marcus at his side, there was no doubt in my mind he was capable of that. I knew the strength of my love for Edward, and if Marcus had been even a fraction in love with Didyme the way I was in love with Edward, I knew his vindication was his driving force. I didn't doubt that this his plan for a second. I couldn't believe this was a trap because even imagining losing Edward stirred emotions of fury inside of me.

I felt like I understood Marcus now, he had always voted in our favor, but he had always seemed so bored. I realized that it wasn't boredom, it was residual grief. He had never gotten over the loss of his wife. He had also yearned vengeance.

What would a world without the Volturi be like? They were feared because of their discipline, I remembered Jasper's stories. If the Volturi hadn't of intervened what would have happened there, would they have wiped out the human populace in their desire for control?

"Will there be some form of law?" I asked quietly. "I heard stories of the southern wars, if the the Volturi hadn't of interceded, things could have gotten so much worse. I'm not saying I want Aro or Caius to rule, I want to know if there will be law keepers."

"I believe Marcus will work to keep the peace. but he will not continue with a dictatorship. He will punish only if there has been an offense. Marcus didn't deem you law breakers. Yes, a human knew our secrets, but Marcus knew that it was safe with the girl. Your relationship was proof enough of that. Aro and Caius use the law to get what they want and strengthen their guard."

I looked at Edward, I knew this would risk everything, but I believed him. I believed that the underworld of vampires would be better without the dictatorship. I had only one way of helping, but I wanted to offer them that, I wanted to offer them the defense they needed to win the battle.

Edward's face was tight, his jaw locked in place. '_Are you angry with me?_' I thought loudly.

Edward picked up my hand and kissed my palm, all tension dropped from his face.

"No, just worried."

Demetri looked to us, his eyes appraised our one sided conversation.

'_I am too, but what options do we have? If we don't trust them our only option is servitude to the system that deems us law breakers to obtain our gifts. I don't want that life for you, or me, and I don't want Charlie's death either._'

Edward nodded once, his eyes moved to meet Demetri's.

"I can only speak for Bella and myself, but we will help you. Bella will protect your men as much as she can, she knows it's the best thing she can offer. I will help when I can with the thoughts of the opposition. If it comes to us joining with the fight . . ."

"If Bella is willing to shield us from the offensive line, I see no need for you to physically fight. We should over power them quite easily and they won't be expecting it."

"Having the wolves on our side will make it a little more difficult to see, but I will help, and give you what I can." Alice said. She was wide eyed and looked nervous but I could tell her method of deduction had been much the same as mine, this was our only option.

"That includes me." Jasper said quietly.

"I think we need to discuss this amongst ourselves, but I would go out on a limb and say that we will help as much as we can, Demetri." Carlisle said softly.

"I am forever in your debt, but I have one more favor to ask of you."

"Go ahead."

"Your friends and the wolves, would you be willing to relay the story to them?"

"We'll do what we can."

"That's all I can ask."

"For now though, perhaps Bella should call Jacob." Carlisle said evenly. "You know how worried he was."

I knew how worried he was, I also knew how excited he would be about the gift were about to give him . . .

* * *

**A/N: Okay so my original plot line was Demetri and the guard disagreed with what the volturi was doing, I was also going to have Aro murder Demetri's parents, then I went to Stephenie Meyer's website and reat the FAQ on her Breaking Dawn link, and low and behold the woman gave me the perfect plot, and one that actually happened in Bella's world, not one I pulled out of my !!**

**I know I am aday early but my birthday is on friday and my sister is taking me out. So I figured I would get this up and to you so I can continue the every other day schedule . . . with this on exception of course.**

**Thanks for the Faves and the Alerts and THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS, I HOPE THIS DIDN'T DISAPPOINT** **. . .** **YOU GUYS REALLY, REALLY, REALLY ROCK!!**

**BIG HUGZ-L-**


	20. Chapter 20

_**All Things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer. :0)**_

* * *

**Chapter 21 - Warriors Downfall**

We didn't have long to arrange the wolves involvement. Felix wouldn't trust anything we were doing so we had to be surreptitious in our movements. Demetri had requested that he not be present during Felix's demise. He didn't consider himself a friend of Felix's, but he had been a comrade in arms for many centuries. The wolves brutal slaying would be hard for him to endure. It was understandable even if most of us hated the antagonistic vampire.

The turnabout of events were still a shock to me, I had never anticipated mutiny amongst the ranks of their own. The divide seemed profound, Demetri was confident about their victory with my help, their most challenging adversaries were Jane and Alec, their talents would annihilate any competition unshielded by me. Demetri seemed to believe I was the key to their victory. I just needed to exercise my shield and prepare for protecting more people than I could have ever anticipated. It would take some effort, but I was committed to helping them now.

If Demetri's confidence was anything to go by, we would not be locked into battle with the remaining Volturi guard, but Edward was still dubious about this. They would know I was protecting those who stood against Aro, Soren and those of the Volturi that had been in the throne room with us were aware of my gift, not even Jane could penetrate my defenses. I would become the main target of their onslaught, without me, there would be a large chance those loyal to Aro would become victorious.

The Cullen's would put most of their effort into protecting me, and Marcus' allies would concentrate on removing Jane and Alec. I knew my protection would be echoed by the wolves, but I was also sure they would be willing to join the fight from Marcus' side. Felix wasn't the only vampire to murder Sam. They had left a couple of the guard to ensure the job was done thoroughly.

First things first, we needed to eliminate Felix.

I had called Jacob, but Edward had taken over the conversation when it came to schematics, as much as I hated Felix and everything he stood for, I couldn't talk about murder without involving emotion. It wasn't that I wanted Felix to survive, but I couldn't, in good conscience, talk about it as though taking a life was something to be celebrated. To me, it was an unavoidable necessity.

Emmett, of course, was offering his services, he was always up for a good fight, and he saw Felix as a worthy opponent. As it was though, the wolves were pumped and waiting for our signal, the nine of them would take Felix out effortlessly. They had promised Emmett that he could throw the match that finished the job.

Once Felix was taken care of, the Cullen's would beginning hunting down their closest friends, and any opposition to the Volturi they could find. Alice, Demetri and I would be staying behind, Alice and I were who Aro was interested in, we had to stay alert and ready for anything.Demetri suspected that Aro would try to communicate with the two of us, hoping to persuade us to choose servitude under him and Caius.

While the family were gone, Demetri would be in constant contact with them, using his talent to help them find the friends who wandered, Alice would look for their decisions as they continued, looking for paths that would put them in the sights of the Volturi guards. I would simply be sat on my hands, answering all of Charlie's questions. I had to make sure that he didn't find out about the upcoming fight that was looming on the town he governed as chief of police. He would see a need for his involvement, even though he himself knew how useless his weapons were against the vampires. I was afraid I had gotten my sacrificial instinct from him, he was selfless and I knew he would do anything to protect me.

The foundation of the attack was laid out and it was now a waiting game. Felix had been gone all night and a majority of the day. I was sure he saw the benefits of the cloud cover. It gave _his_ kind more options. That thought alone sickened me, and I immediately felt guilty about the lives that were lost to feed our enemy. I would feel guilty about Demetri's acquisitions, but it seemed less brutal when I thought of him hunting. I think I had been taken in by his softer nature, a nature that seemingly fit his demeanor.

It was twilight when Felix finally rolled the Ferrari into the garage, his eyes were bright crimson from the victims blood. I found myself once again hating the connection I had with him. He was a vile monster to me, a creature that preyed on the weak, he was the effigy of Aro, the only thing that differentiated them, was the fact that Felix didn't hide what he was behind a curtain of calm.

His arrogant stride annoyed me, he strolled into the house and threw the keys at me, there was an unnecessary force behind the action that I didn't feel, but the action still created a growl from Edward. He and I were in the living room watching nothing in particular. We had been waiting for the vampire's return.

Demetri was never far away, so his sudden appearance in the room wasn't a surprise. He stood silently behind Felix, his poker face in place as he appraised him.

"What took you so long, Felix?"

Felix didn't take his eyes from us, it seemed he was used to the stealthy movements of Demetri. "I was having a little bit of fun, Demetri. You should try it. I highly advise you take the Ferrari."

I held up the keys for Demetri but he shook his head, a small smile on his lips. A smile that Felix missed because his eyes were still on us.

"I think I'll take something more inconspicuous."

"Do you want the Volvo or the Mercedes?" Edward asked, his voice was devoid of emotion. All of us had been told to treat Demetri indifferently until Felix was out of the picture. Compassion for our guards would be certain to cause suspicions.

"The Mercedes will be fine." Demetri said stepping forward.

Edward got up and headed to where the keys were kept, I sat alone in front of Felix, feeling small and insignificant. His eyes were boring into me almost expectantly. I wasn't sure what he wanted, but the look was scheming. Demetri had followed Edward, so the solitude was even more significant, fortunately, it wasn't like that for long, Alice appeared from the top of the stairs, her descent was quick and accurate, but she was by my side in an instant. The look on her face told me she wasn't too happy about Felix's decision making.

Felix's reaction was to chuckle darkly and fall into a chair. I wasn't sure what he had been planning, but I was sure I didn't want to know. I couldn't possibly imagine what an animal like him could be thinking.

"So what do you do around here for fun?" Felix drawled.

Alice's eyes lit up brightly, "We play baseball, and football during storms. With so many of us there's always some kind of competition going on."

Alice smiled again. Obviously seeing a decision that pleased her.

"How about _wrestling_?" The way he said the word made me cringe, I felt violated. His eyes scoured over my body, and his tongue wet his lips.

"Yes, that too." Alice chimed in.

I shot her a look.

Felix smiled darkly and stood up, whatever he was thinking brought Edward back into the room at top speed. His face was contorted with rage as he stopped directly in front of the guard.

"No!"

Felix laughed again. "Then perhaps you, Edward?"

"My pleasure." Edward sneered emphasizing the syllables.

"Where?"

"We have to be indiscreet, so we usually do things like this in a clearing up in the mountains." Alice answered rolling her eyes. I was guessing Felix wouldn't be coming back from this little excursion, in fact, I was sure of it. Emmett hadn't made an appearance at the mention of wrestling, and I knew how significant _that_ was.

"Let's go." Felix snarled.

"Jasper, Esme, Carlisle, Rose, Emmett." Alice called.

It didn't take long for the family to join us, each seemed to be waiting for the cue to go. I was sure they were arranging our improvised distraction, I expected the wolves to join us at the clearing. I had no doubt that this was the perfect opportunity. It hadn't been our plan, but Alice was thinking on her feet, and I was sure it would work.

We each had a part to play to keep this authentic, and Carlisle was true to form as he showed his skepticism.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"It's all in good fun." Felix's attempt at indifference came out as a snarl.

"Fun?" Rosalie said in disgust. "It seems as though that's the last thing on your mind."

Felix smirked and headed towards the door. It almost seemed too easy, his pride and confidence was going to deliver him into the hands of death. He wouldn't win this one, but I was afraid he would take someone with him. The wolves were good fighters, they outnumbered him significantly, but Felix was strong, the Volturi kept him for his battle skills. I couldn't help but worry. There were so many things that could go wrong, but I had to trust that my family had arranged this as well as they could, and I hoped Edward had heard those decisions.

Edward was the first to follow him out, close behind him were Emmett and Jasper. Alice looped her arm in mine before heading forwards. I hoped that Edward wouldn't need to battle Felix for long, it would be even better if he didn't have to fight him at all. I hoped the wolves had received the message loud and clear.

The journey to the clearing was made in relative silence, only the goading between Felix and Emmett disturbed the peace. Edward was silent as he ran through the trees, I ran silently beside Alice, trying to keep Felix's focus away from me. Again, I was unsure what thoughts were running through Felix's mind, but it seemed to be driving Edward forward, he was traveling at top speed leaving all of us behind him.

It didn't take us long to get to the clearing, Edward seemed to set a pace for us all. He stopped in the middle and turned to face Felix, his eyes wild and full of rage. Whatever goading had been going on between Emmett and Felix was nothing compared to the barrage of insults Felix had seemingly been throwing at Edward in his thoughts.

I stopped on the edge of the clearing and pulled Alice to a stop with me. I wasn't sure if Felix would hear us, but I needed to know if my suspicions were correct.

"Alice." I whispered, eyeing the slowing group ahead of us.

"What is it, Bella?" her volume matched mine and I hoped it was enough to keep the conversation from Edward and Felix.

"Edward wanted to get here quickly so he could fight him." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Alice sighed. "Yes, but the wolves are almost here. I'm losing my sight."

"How long?"

"Three minutes, give or take a few seconds."

"We have to stop this." I said my whisper hit the high octaves.

"Bella . . ."

"I know . . ."

"It'll keep Felix occupied."

"I know . . ."

"Seriously, I thought you would have lost the worrying gene when you were changed."

I rolled my eyes at the comment, I knew I worried too much, but it seemed as though I was always placing the people I loved in danger. Alice pulled me towards the two vampires that were circling one another, ripping snarls filled the clearing. The sound worried me and I sped up . . . I was, for once, pulling Alice.

I hated seeing Edward in a fighting position, his eyes were so intense as they watched the large vampire across from him. It took every aspect of his concentration as he listened and counteracted moved in his head. Jasper and Emmett were skirting around the edges, crouching with each side step they took.

Edward and Felix almost looked like animals, like two lions fighting for dominance.

"Calm down," Alice whispered holding up just one finger. One minute, one minute was all I had to let this atrocity happen.

Felix sprung forward, but Edward hopped to the side anticipating his move, hearing it in his head. Felix let out a ripping growl that filled the clearing, resounding from the trees as it hit the edges. Edward smirked, he knew that the wolves only being a minute away would hear the sound and move quickly.

Edward pounced forward and hit Felix square in the stomach, his shoulder catching in just the right place. The two of them hit the floor with a ground shaking crash. The vibrations rumbled under our feet.

Jasper and Emmett widened their circle as the fight became more physical, they were referring the fight but I had an idea that they would only intercede if Edward was on the downside. Edward jumped to his feet and backed away slowly. Felix followed, his lips pulled back showing his razor sharp teeth. He was no longer playing. I was sure he wasn't used to being caught off guard.

"Listen." Alice whispered under her breath, drawing my attention away from the fight. She was stood less than an arms length from me and I could barely hear her. Her bell like voice was almost silent as she closed her eyes and concentrated on the wind surrounding her.

I followed her example and listened to the wind, the noise being created by the fighting vampires dominated the space, but when concentrating I could hear the footfalls of the wolves. The sound filled my chest with hope, the gentle pounding was hypnotic as they moved as one. They had one goal, one they were happy to complete, but one that would never undo what had been done. Nothing would bring Sam back, but they would be given their requital. They were growing louder every second, the gentle thump, thump, thump, steadily increased as the sound of the fight escalated. Their hastiness caused the sound of their movements to increase, not that anyone else noticed, of course.

Alice and I stood silently listening to the rapidly growing sound. The sound that had been one began multiplying, then separating, it sounded as though they were moving around the circle of trees, and they were moving quickly. They were prepared for what they had to do, excited even, I could hear it in their stride.

Alice picked up my hand and began backing away from the fight, the distraction wouldn't be needed, I could hear the slowing of the paws as they positioned themselves. Their gentle pants silenced as they waited for their introduction. If I didn't know the wolves well I would be scared, the sound was precarious, as though it were death itself. I stayed close to Alice's side.

Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme followed us away from the grouping. We were backing towards the tree line and stopped against a small cluster of spruces. We all groups knew the layout of this clearing, it had been the arena too many times. Everything seemed to happen in this open space, it was far from town and out of the way. No human would wander this far out without reason, especially not at this time of night.

My eyes locked on to Edward as he dodged a charge from Felix, his movements were quick as he moved around him. Edward was strong and his gift gave him a large advantage, but this didn't mean that I trusted Felix. He had been a Volturi guard, a guard loyal to Aro. He also seemed to have the same morals with less of an inclination to hide them. I didn't trust him, and with good reason.

Felix had completely lost his patience now, he lunged forwards, but met the ground as Edward backed away from him. The ground shivered under the pressure of his landing. The trees gently rustled around us as the motion reached us. Felix roared in anger at his failure, it seemed as though he had no advantage in this fight. He had also seen Edward's retreat.

Emmett and Jasper flanked Edward on either side as he backed away and they began back stepping towards us, never taking their eyes from Felix. He was still on the ground but his eyes were watching the small group as they made their way back to us. He sprung from the floor in one movement and took a step towards them, but a ripping howl sounded from the tree line and stopped his movements abruptly. His eyes widened and his pallor blanched. He knew what it meant, there was no doubt about that.

The howling carried all the way around the clearing and, the noise echoed through the small space surrounding us all. They were invisible, but the menacing threat in their howls sent chills down my spine. There would be no forgiveness from the pack. They were here to do what they did best, and they would enjoy every last second of it.

Felix's head snapped around the circle, the his neck twisted as he tried to see where the attack would be coming from, the wolves stayed invisible and his glare finally settled on us. His narrow eyes were full of rage as the reality of the situation settled in. His body fell into a dangerous looking crouch as his appraisal continued.

"Your betrayal will kill you all." he growled. "I will not go down without a fight."

"The wolves are depending on it." Edward said evenly, I cringed at the thought of Felix fighting the wolves with the ferocity he was capable of.

"You have sentenced yourselves to death."

"Are you sure about that, Felix?" Edward asked calmly. "It's seems you may have a slight misconception."

Felix growled again and fell back on his legs, reading himself to pounce. I watched as the muscles in his calves bunched together, coiling in anticipation of the movement. A slow growl rose from his chest as calculated his chances. His eyes moved across every individual in the clearing, he wanted to take out the strongest, but also the most influential, and true to form his eyes settled on me, it seemed Edward had been right in his assumptions, I was the one that could protect them from the Volturi advances.

A sudden gesticulation in the trees drew his attention away from me. Each of our eyes moved in the same direction, even though we knew what would be there.

The large Russet wolf stepped out of the trees on our right, his height was impressive now, as his back towered over us, his head was even higher, I could see the concentration in his eyes as he smoothly strode forward, his ears were flat against his skull.

A throaty growl erupted as his snout pulled back over his incisors, it was one of the single most menacing sights I had ever seen.

"It seems our friend Jacob believes you are." Edward stepped forwards but Jasper and Emmett continued back to us, Jacob stepped forward to stand beside Edward.

The other eight wolves appeared from the tree line around the clearing, spaced at perfectly even distances. All had the same snarl on their snouts, their ears laid back, flat on their heads and their angry eyes all locked on Felix.

"You see the wolves have given their allegiance away, you are our gift to them. They want retribution." Edward's voice now held a calm quality. He wasn't boasting or heckling Felix, he was simple stating the facts.

"You think their allegiance to you is a surprise?" Felix spat, a smirk dancing on his lips even as death stared him in the face.

"No, but their allegiance to Marcus, I'm sure, is a surprise." Emmett said happily.

"Lies," Felix snarled, lowering himself once again. His crimson eyes seemed to stand out from his olive pallor, his dark eyebrows were drawn into a tight line above them.

Edward laughed and it was followed by the ripping snarls of the wolves. This just seemed to infuriate Felix all the more, a foreboding growl emitted from him as his eyes set their sights, once again, on me. I was the biggest threat to his precious tyrannical masters. I would protect those who opposed them from the Volturi's greatest offense, and I would do it with pride.

Jacob walked slowly in Felix's line of sight and sat down facing him. Edward turned away from the angry vampire and headed towards us again. He slapped Jacob gently on the shoulder as he passed him, it was amazing how much had changed in such a short time. Edward didn't stop until he reached me. His hand picked up mine as he stopped beside me.

"It really doesn't matter what you think, Felix. You will die here today." Emmett said balefully

A deep rumble emitted from the wolves as the prospect excited them. Felix's eyes darted around his encircling captors as they slowly stalked towards him. They kept their perfect circle, their space simply narrowed as they got closer. Panic began rising on the vampires face, he had recalculated and he knew there was no way out, that his death was inevitable.

"Demetri will have you executed for this." There was a considerable amount of nervousness mingled in with the threat. The wolves were intimidating him as they closed the space between themselves.

Emmett pulled something silver from his pocket and clicked it gently, a flame emitted from the top of it, licking the air that danced around it. "Who do you think sold you out, Felix? Do you think Marcus orchestrated this alone?"

For the first time since I had laid eyes on him, Felix looked afraid, the realization that he would not make it out of this alive, and that there would be no retribution for him, finally seemed to be sinking in.

Jacob stood slowly and headed towards the vampire, he moved slowly back into formation filling in the gap of the circle.

Felix hissed at the giant animals as they closed in, his eyes moved around the group as the got closer to him.

"Don't you want to know why you're dying?" Carlisle asked, he seemed to be amazed that a creature would accept his fate so absolutely, being a gentle soul, Carlisle couldn't understand that someone like Felix would have no redeeming qualities. He had wronged for his eternity, now he was being sentenced for his centuries of barbarian acts.

Felix actually laughed at the comment.

"Are you curious why you and your masters are being betrayed?" Rosalie asked, her tone was bitter.

"I don't believe I am." he growled, moving all four of his limbs slowly to the ground.

His eyes once again locked on me, there was no question in his eyes, just concentration. He was going to make one more effort to take me out of the equation. He didn't have a hope in hell, but I had to give him credit for trying. He was loyal to the very end.

He pushed back on his legs, the muscles in his arms and legs flexed, his eyes narrowed and he pushed off, his body propelled forwards, I never took my eyes off of him. He traveled towards me with an amazing agility, the muscles pushing his limbs forward.

Then he was gone, replaced by a mountain of multi-hued fur and snapping and growling. The metallic screeching let us know the wolves had already hit their mark, nine sets of teeth could be heard ripping through the marble flesh of Felix. I hadn't flinched once, his bravery was not rewarded by my cowardice, he saw nothing but resolute disgust from me, I refused him that last reaction.

I fell into Edward's side as soon as he was out of my view, I was glad he was out of the equation, he was one less thing to worry about, one less guard to fight. We would never have to deal with him again, and it was just the beginning of Sam's redemption.

It didn't take long for the nine wolves to shred the vampire, each wanted a part of the murderer, he lay in a small pile of pieces as they backed away from it. Each looked smug as they turned and strode away, they would wait patiently to finish the job they had just started, they had given their temporary allegiance to one of the very monstrous animals they were born to protect their people from, to finish the job.

We were fighting for our freedom, and this was just the beginning. Emmett clicked the lighter and set the pile alight, the thick, heady smoke rose into the air, finishing Felix for good, and signaling Demetri that the job was done.

Now we had work to do . . .

* * *

**A/N: Okay so I hope the downfall of Felix, was interesting enough LOL, I had to make him bitter and not beg, I couldn't see an animal like that begging, he was too arrogant . . . sorry SM, that's another one of your characters I disposed of, My bad :0I . . . **

**Well, it seems as though hurricane Ike is heading straight for us so I may be down for a couple of days, thing should start getting pretty nasty this afternoon, I have luck like Bella's I guess it comes with being a Virgo (Today's my birthday and I know I said I wasn't going to post but, with the hurricane coming in I needed to get a chapter out in case the power was out for a couple of days, and also EVERYTHING is closed, even McDonalds! So I have nothing to do but entertain myself and all of you lol. And I do so happily)**

**Thank you for the Alerts and Faves, I apologize about the monstrous A/N LOL . . . . THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS, SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME, YOU MAKE ME LAUGH AND GIGGLE, YOU ROCK AND I LOVE YOU GUYS . . . YOU ROCK!**

**AS ALWAYS -BIG HUGZ-L-**


	21. Chapter 21

_**All Things Twilight belong to the awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

**- LEMON -**

* * *

**Chapter 22 - Hot Shower**

We didn't stand around to watch Felix burn, it was a poignant moment but we felt the need to leave the wolves alone with their thoughts. it seemed as though all too soon, they would get their chance to finish what had now started. They were happy about their opportunity and what they had successfully accomplished but it was another reminder of what they had lost. Something that could never be replaced, a member of their family.

Carlisle was quiet, but there was no regret. The morose mood surrounding us was not guilt or remorse for what had just been done. What seemed to be on our minds was the can of worms we had opened, now, there was no turning back. The sequence of events had been started. There would be no escaping the repercussions. We had to continue on the path we had chosen now. We had put all of our faith into Demetri, and we hoped that it hadn't been a set up to destroy us, but we were out of options and this was the only one any of us were willing to take and faith was driving us forwards.

We traveled slowly, each of us lost in thought. Alice and I would be staying at the house with Demetri. I hated that the others would be alone. Edward would travel with Jasper, Rosalie with Emmett, and Esme with Carlisle. Alice and I weren't happy about being left behind, but we had to stay for the sake of contingency. Demetri was told to stay in constant communication with Aro and was sure Aro would, at some point, expect to speak to one of us. If not that, then we needed to create the background noise.

Alice and I would be speaking with Charlie while the others were gone, I had promised him answers and I knew he would cash that in at some point, we also needed to welcome those the others would send to us. We would have to introduce them to Demetri, he was one of the better known guards, he had tracked for them for centuries and the vampires knew he was the spear point for any reconnaissance mission the Volturi required.

After his introduction he would explain the story to those who would listen. Not many would know the history of the Italian coven, they were mostly avoided because of the threat they held over our world. Seeing the Volturi wasn't good news, it meant that you had done something wrong, broken the rules, or had something they wanted. They used all of their strengths to get what they wanted.

We didn't have long to put all of this together either. Aro had given us a month to make our decision, but there was no guarantee he would stick to his word. The Volturi weren't known for their patience. Our only hope was that Marcus would slow their momentum to give us time.

We didn't have long before the other were due to leave, Felix's demise had happened ahead of schedule so it gave us some time together before Demetri returned and the others left. We weren't sure how long the smoke stack would last, but we were sure he would know it was done.

The house was quiet when we arrived, and we made our way inside without a word. I wanted to spend some time with Edward before things got out of control, but I didn't want to offend the family. That didn't seem to be a problem at all. I wasn't the only person being left behind.

The first to disappear was Alice and Jasper. I knew Alice was having just as bad of a time that I was with this situation, both of us were sending our mates away without us, and the anxiety that it created stirred emotions that neither of us wanted. We craved the attention before they left us.

Edward pulled me towards the stairs, I still had the barrier protecting them and I knew that he could hear every thought running through my mind. I needed to be alone with him, I needed to forget all of this, I needed him.Neither of us spoke, but I knew the sounds and images of my mind were being thrown at him, he saw every thought, every emotion that I was feeling.

"Bella," his voice was thick, I knew the thought of separation was just as difficult for him as it was for me.

"I'm sorry, it's just you know how being away from you makes me anxious."

Edward stopped and pulled me against his chest, his cheek laid lightly on the top of my head. "We need to look at this as an experiment."

"In what context?" I whispered, eager for some release from the impending situation.

"Your barrier, see if you can keep it around us as we travel. You've already said you can sense us when we're inside of it, maybe that will take away some of the anxiety, you will also discover your limitations, at what distance do we lose contact, or do we at all?"

I nodded gently, the sound of his marble skin brushing against the strands of hair sounded like a melody. He was trying to placate me, but I knew him well enough to know that he would be just as anxious.

"You're starting to sound as pessimistic as Rose," he chuckled lightly.

"I heard that, Edward!" Rose shouted from the floor below.

I couldn't help but laugh at that, Rosalie had an affinity for hearing any conversation her name was mentioned in. I was sure the rest of the family had the same ability but were less inclined to comment.

We continued to the third floor. Our room felt like a safe haven as we entered, the familiarity washed over me creating a sense of calm. I smiled at the sense of peace that filled me. Edward pulled me to him as the thoughts passed through my mind, but this wouldn't do, I couldn't see his face.

I stepped out of his embrace and turned to face him, his beautiful golden eyes appraised me, he was looking for the corresponding emotions of my thoughts. My hand reached out to touch the side of his face, and I cupped his cheek gently and stroked the skin under his eyes gently with my thumb. Edward smiled at me with so much love, my entire self melted.

"I love you." I whispered, stepping closer to him.

Edward grinned my favorite crooked grin and leaned down towards me. Our lips met and the electricity ignited a fire in my soul. After everything we had gone through in the last couple of days we hadn't spared a moment for ourselves. My arms circled around his neck pulling him closer, his hands gripped onto my hips and pulled me to him. Every inch of my body that touched his burned.

I had missed his touch, the intimacy of these moments, there were always so many distractions, the passion I consistently felt pushed aside for something urgent that needed our attention. This was all I ever wanted, this was how I wanted to spend eternity.

Edward pulled away and raised his eyebrows, I bit my bottom lip, right, I had forgotten the shield again. For one moment I considered removing it.

"Don't you dare." Edward growled playfully. His lips once again crashing against mine.

I tried to remember the last time we had been this intimate and two pictures filled my mind, the first was the plane, when we had been under the influence of Jasper, the other was that last day in Denali. The whole memory played out causing Edward to deepen our kiss.

His hands left my hips and traveled up the sides of my body, his thumbs hooked under the shirt I was wearing as they made their way up. His hands were on the bare skin under it, leaving trails of fire in their wake. A soft moan escaped me as his hands brushed over my ribs, his thumbs gently brushed my breasts. My head spun with the intimacy, I felt light headed and aroused. The arousal caused my body to react. My nipples hardened at his gentle touch, his thumbs brushed against the aroused skin, his face pulled away from mine, but left mere inches between our noses. His breaths came in quick spurts as my arousal hitched his concentration. His breath washed over me, the scent from his breath had my mind spiraling, my knees felt impossibly weak at his touch.

His hands continued up, nudging my arms above my head, he pulled the shirt over my head quickly and let the material fall disregarded to the floor. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the breaths that washed over me. My chest rose and fell with my excited breaths.

Edward stepped away and the loss of sensation had my eyes flickering open. His eyes drank in my body, his hands made their way back down to my hips.

"You are so beautiful." his voice was thick. Stirring a heated ripple to roll down my spine. His hands pulled me to him again but the passion was taking control, I came against him hard and we stumbled. He embraced me and in one quick movement my back was against the wall. One of his arms was securely around my waist and the other against the wall by my head. His breathing was labored as his intense eyes met mine.

My hands came to rest on his chest, I could feel his muscles rippling underneath the light material, the rise and fall as his breathing intensified. I moved my hands to the hem of his shirt. I let my tongue dance across my lips as our eyes kept their intense hold.

My hands slid up his soft skin, the contact created ripple of pleasure to coil my stomach muscles, a heat pulsated below the skin. I let my hands travel up his body pulling the shirt up with them, our eye contact lost momentarily as I pulled it gently over his head. His marvelous body couldn't drawn my attention away from his eyes long, the sparks of fire that had been there before made their reappearance. The hand that had been against the wall by my head, cupped around my neck and pulled me towards him.

The kiss was now full of heat as our lips moved together, it was as though we couldn't get enough of one another. His tongue traced the shape of my lips creating a moan to rise from deep within me. The sound created a shudder to move through his body. He pressed me against the wall, my back was flat against it as his hand held my head to keep my lips to his. His hips rocked gently against me creating another moan of mine to erupt into his mouth.

His lips relinquished their hold on mine as his nose traced the line of my jaw. My mind committed every touch to memory. My hands moved to his hips as his mouth made contact with my neck, the pleasure ran through me with force and I pulled his hips to me, my erratic breathing was letting small whimpers escape with it. His tongue ran along my collar bone causing my hips to arch towards him.

He growled my name, as he scooped me into his arms, my legs wrapped around his waist and my hips rocked gently creating a friction between us. His groan of pleasure sent another wave of air tumbling across my skin. An image fluttered through my mind but I was too distracted to really pay attention, I did, however notice the running water. Edward chuckled.

"I was thinking the same same thing." his husky voice, created a warmth between my legs that exploded in the pit of my stomach. My legs tightened around his waist as he pulled me from the wall and headed towards the bathroom

I giggled breathlessly as he set my feet on the ground. My hands, rather than moving to my jeans immediately tackled his belt, his marvelous chest was heaving with the air he sucked in. The passion was creating the need for air, the excitement exaggerated the movements, I watched as his chest rose and fell, mesmerizing me. His lips once again met mine as we undressed one another. His hands unhooked my bra with a gentle flick of his fingers, and his hand moved to slide it gently down my arms. I popped the buttons on his jeans quickly and pushed them down his sculpted thighs. My hands ran gently up his hips to the band of the underwear that hugged his waist. I pushed hem down to his thighs gently and let them fall.

Our lips didn't part once, but the urgency within me grew insurmountably. I knew he was stood in front of me completely naked, but my clothes were still in the way. His hands worked on my jeans, as always they were plastered to my form, snugly hugging every curve of my body, but Edward made the task more sensual than I could have ever imagined.

His mouth left mine but found it's place in the hollow of my neck, he licked and sucked creating explosions that rocked my hips forwards. His tongue traced a gentle path down to my chest, finding the erect nipple that exposed my pleasure. His tongue danced around it gently, the muscles of my intimate center tensed and released at the sensation, snaps of excitement filled every part of me.

His hands continued to push the denim down my legs and his mouth moved to my stomach. His lips felt like live wires against my skin, my breathing picked up again, and a moan flowed from my lips. My hands found his shoulders as my head span with the anticipation.

His lips traveled further down, and his hands pushed the material to the floor. His hands traveled slowly back up my legs as his mouth kissed the skin on my thighs. A shiver sent each of my muscles locking and releasing as his hands traced a line up my inner thigh. His thumb ran the line of my womanhood sending my breath propelling from my lungs and a gasp to form on my lips.

The sound excited him and his fingers followed the line his thumb had taken. My legs quivered gently with the sensation and my stomach flexed against my skin. His other hand found my hand and pulled it gently, my body reacted without warning, my legs bent towards him as I lowered myself to the ground. My knees settled on either side of his legs and I could feel his arousal as it gently stroked my thigh. His mouth crashed down on my neck as I settled on the same level as him.

Our bodies, looked as though they were worshiping each other, we were kneeling and facing one another, every part of ourselves pulling us towards the other as we kissed.

My breathing had become panting now, I couldn't control the excitement as it ran through me. My hands traveled from his shoulders and down his chest, tracing the lines of his abs as the continued to travel to his throbbing manhood. His breathing hitched as my thumb traced his shaft. The sound drove me on, it excited me explosion rocked me internally as I gazed at him. His eyes were closed as my stroking continued. My teeth found my bottom lip as my hand wrapped around him. He moaned into my shoulder as my hand gently stroked the length of him. I found my rhythm easily, my hand moved up and down, stroking him, building momentum. His breathing increased releasing moans of pleasure into my neck. My head fell into his shoulder as my tempo increased, each moan created a deeper warmth in my core.

The pressure inside of me was insurmountable as his groans of pleasure filled the air around me, my breathing increased, his pleasure brought me pleasure, a small whimper escaped my lips. Edward growled and pushed me back towards the floor. My hand released him as he moved to hover above me. His eyes met mine and a small twinkle of mischief played behind the molten gold of passion. I smiled as seductively as I could, but his lips crashed against mine removing any trace of it. I grunted lightly as I felt his shaft brush against me, creating a reaction from my overheated body.

Edward's mouth left mine, it covered my breast as his tongue teased my nipple. The sensation created them to extend further towards him, every muscle in my body contracted, making my body tremble. My hands clawed at the sensation, I let them fall to the ground and trace the tiles, I was holding myself back. His tongue flicked the tight skin and my fingers dug into the floor, shifting some of the tiles. My eyes closed as my back arched itself towards the pleasure. His hands fit perfectly just above my hips, he held me in place as his lips traveled over my stomach down towards my core.

I could feel the trembling in my stomach as the muscles anticipated his next move. My hands came to rest on my stomach feeling the gentle tremble as lips moved further south. His hands released my hips and he ran it from my ribs, down over and over the center of my quivering stomach. His mouth brushed against my thighs as his hand once again ran over my center.

His name escaped my lips as a panted groan, my nerve endings were alight with every pass of his hand. My hips bucked forward as his fingers stroked the outer skin of my exploding center, the pleasurable coil was becoming painful with the anticipation of him. My hands moved to my hips and traced the line towards where his fingers were teasing me. His hands caught mine before they reached their goal and his lips left my thigh. A whimper escaped my lips, the loss of his touch was torturous.

He placed both of my hands into one of his and let the other stroke me, his fingers played at the entrance circling gently as he explored the most intimate parts of my body. His thumb found the small sensitive nub that my body held within its confines and rubbed it, a gasp of air escaped me as the fire within me grew, my legs curled around his waist willing him to continue. I wanted to scream as the erotic sensation lifted me out of myself. The pressure continued to grown inside of me, waiting for it's relief.

My hands struggled against their cage Edward's hand had created, the torture was too much, the pressure filled my body and clouded my mind. His finger dipped into me slowly creating a small release of pleasure, my stomach was rising and falling with my panted breaths, his one finger became two as he found his rhythm. My hips pushed him deeper as they rose towards him, Edward's ragged breath blew against my aching center. He pumped with controlled force, my body worked with him as he created a heated friction within me, my body was alive with a mixture of breaths and trembles, my entire body was on fire. His lips met my thigh again sucking on the skin that was tensing with the pleasure.

My breathless moan filled the air, as his fingers disappeared. My ragged pants came in spurts and moans as I writhed on the floor. I felt empty without his touch, like I was a half rather than a whole. My eyes fluttered open to find him, his chest was rising and falling as he watched the involuntary movements my body created. Closing my eyes again was the only way I could stop myself from taking control, my hands were still in the prison Edward had created for them and I needed a release as the pressure within me grew.

He released my hands and pushed himself forward, I could feel his breath running over my skin as he moved up my body, he moved until he was hovering over me, my legs were still gripping his waist unwilling to let him get further away from me. My eyes fluttered open and saw the intensity of his as he gazed at me, hungry with passion. My arms twisted around his neck and pulled him down to me. His lips crashed on mine and my hips rocked up to meet his. His throbbing shaft nudged me gently looking for it's release, I wanted it, I needed it.

I pushed Edward away from me with a little more force than necessary, and he rolled to the side settling on his back a gently shudder ran through the tiles beneath us. I rolled on top of him straddling him as I pinned him to the ground. I hovered above him, teasing him as he had teased me, dropping my hips until our most intimate parts grazed against the other. He released a throaty groan as his hips bucked forward.

He entered me filling me with every inch of his perfect manhood. I gasped and groaned at the relief, he filled me perfectly, I pushed down as he pushed up. I looked up into his eyes and a satisfied smile filled them. His hands grasped my hips as his fell to the ground, he moved my hips gently with his hands, setting the pace for our love making, I followed his movements my hands gently gliding over his chest as we moved together.

My head fell back as the pleasure and friction increased, his groans increased my tempo. The pressure increased creating a pleasure that arched my back, small explosions popped inside me. Throaty groans replaced my breathing as I moved, I could feel everything peaking inside of me growing into one combustible sensation, each and every nerve in my body was alive, spasms rocked my body. I was so close, the ecstasy was brimming on the edges. Then it over flowed touching my soul as it rocked my entire body, I shuddered as the feeling filled me completely, but I knew I could go on, I wanted more of this perfection, I wanted more of Edward.

Edward smiled and lifted me from him, he was still hard and willing, but it was his turned to take control, I was panting uncontrollably as he stood with me in his arms. He opened the shower door and stepped inside. The pounding water felt like a million massaging fingers as it rolled over my body, He set me on my feet in front of him, his smile was electric sending shocks through me. My hands ran over his glistening wet body, I wanted him to take control, I wanted him to complete me again. I wanted him inside of me.

His hands met my hips and he pulled me up to meet him. My legs wrapped tightly around his waist again, he smiled and pushed me up against the wall of the shower. His arms cradled my legs as he supported my weight, his mouth covered my breast licking the water from it. My eyes fell shut as I felt the ache taking control again, building inside of me like a fire. I felt him slide into me again but the sensation stole my breath away with a breathy moan.

"Look at me, Bella." his voice was rougher than I had ever heard it before, and my body brimmed with the pressure, there was no gradual build up anymore, he was everything I needed. I opened my eyes and locked in on his, I was dragging in my breaths with force. His eyes were alight as he began his movements, so gentle to begin with but growing rougher with each thrust, his lips met mine and we tangled together. My panting coming in spurts as we groaned one another's names. I felt the tiles behind me giving way as his thrusts pushed deeper and harder.

My toes curled in on themselves as he drove into me, my fingers were tangled into his hair as our tongues danced together, I couldn't concentrate on the kissing as he intensified his movements, the pleasure once again rose within me to greater heights, his eyes flamed as his muscles tightened. The euphoria poured over the edges as he drove into me. The wall crumbled behind my as we both tensed, a pleasured scream rose in my throat and escaped as I called his name at the peak of my pleasure. Both of our bodies froze rigidly as ecstasy consumed us, I could feel him throbbing inside of me, as he released a strangled moan.

He held me against the wall like that for a while, both of us too afraid to move, we were panting with ragged breaths. My hand left the nape of his neck and stroked his beautiful pleasure filled face. His head fell forward and his lips brushed my collar lightly as his body fell limp. I closed my eyes and let my head fall against his shoulder. I wanted this forever, I wanted to be a part of him, more than I already was. He was my entire life and I would never let him go.

My legs slipped against his wet skin as our passionate breaths returned to the rhythm that was normal. He pulled out of me gently and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest.

"Are you alright?" his voice was strained.

I nodded and kissed his shoulder. I unwrapped my legs and let him lower me to my weakened legs. I stepped away from the wall and heard the crumbling follow me. Edward buried his face in my hair and laughed.

"Oops." I said looking down at the fragments of tile surrounding my feet.

This only made Edward laugh harder.

"It's not funny, Esme will be upset." I was, in fact, biting back my own laughter.

"Believe me, Love. This is nothing compared to the destruction Rose and Emmett have created."

The water continued to shower down on us as we surveyed the damage. Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to the other side of the shower, pulling my attention from the small mound of tiles.

I dressed slowly once I had finished in the shower, I settled on something comfortable to wear. I knew that the family would be leaving as soon as Demetri got back and it was time to get our heads back in the game. I was also, if being truthful with myself, putting off Edward's departure. I hated that we would be apart. I was also a little scared.

We made our way back down to family hand in hand. Edward had packed a backpack with everything he needed and carried it on his back as we descended the stairs. I eyed it wearily as it taunted me, reminding me every second what was going to happen.

"I won't be gone long, Bella." Edward assured me squeezing my hand. "This is the easy part."

"You will call me, won't you?"

"Of course I will, love. You know how hard it is for me to leave you, but it needs to be done, we need these vampires. Even if they will never fight, we need them to be there to finish the illusion. Aro has to think we've overthrown Demetri."

I nodded, unable to speak.

"You need to talk to Charlie anyway." Edward finished brushing the damp strands of hair from my face. I knew he was right. I just wished he would be there with me, as I always did.

The family were gathered together in the living room, each were wearing comfortable and durable clothes, each had back packs. Alice's face seemed to be wearing my emotions. She was encased in Jasper's arms as they sat in one of the oversized chairs.

"Any word for Demetri?" Edward asked as he pulled me to the love seat.

"He'll be here in ten minutes." Alice pouted, and her head fell onto Jasper's shoulder.

Ten minutes? The small time frame had me in a panic. Ten minutes and our family would be leaving, for possibly two weeks. A couple of weeks shouldn't be too bad, I tried to convince myself.

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**A/N: Okay I have no internet at home because of the stupid hurricane! So I snuck this into works so I could upload ;)**

**I figured I would get another lemon in there before things got crazy, it seemed as though they would want that intimacy before their separation. With so much down time, (No Power) I'm not as ahead as I normally am, but I will try and keep the schedule together. I'm never sure about my lemons so you'll have to let me know how I did.**

**Thanks for the Alerts and Faves and as always . . . THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS, YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME . . . MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL AND THANK YOU FOR THE BIRTHDAY WISHES AND WELL WISHES FOR THE HURRICANE . . . YOU ROCK!!**

**BIG HUGS - L -**


	22. Chapter 22

_**All things Twilight belong to the awesomely awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

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**Chapter 23 - Absence**

As always Alice was one hundred percent accurate in her prediction, it was just about ten minutes when Demetri strolled in the door placing his keys on a small table that sat by one of the couches. His eyes wearily scanned the room but stopped on Carlisle.

"Felix?"

"It was quick, the wolves wasted no time." Carlisle said kindly.

Demetri nodded in understanding and eyed the bags that sat by each of the soon-to-be travelers. He knew that we were staying true to our word, I just hoped he would stay true to his. Alice and I were making a huge concession letting our mates leave without us, but if the outcome worked out the way it should, out sacrifice would be worth it.

"The wolves asked me to thank you, they also asked me to let you know that they are in agreement with your terms and are willing to give Marcus their alliance."

Demetri nodded. It seemed as though he had expected as much.

"We're leaving now, we were waiting for you." Edward said casually, his arm was wrapped around me, holding me close to him. We'd spent our ten minutes this way, neither of us wanting to put too much distance between us. "Alice and Bella will stay here as you requested, they will explain to the people we send here what it is we're doing. You have to understand, some may be weary of your involvement, Demetri."

"I understand that and I will do all I can here, but Aro is impatient to get what he wants, I can't guarantee he won't send somebody sooner to check on our progress. He is notorious for his reconnaissance."

Carlisle nodded, we weren't completely naive to the inner working of the Volturi, and we had assumed as much. Aro was a power hungry fiend, Alice's talent alone would give him the domination he needed, my power would simply protect him and any of the guard from attack, but he would find that most advantageous as he divided and conquered.

Demetri nodded in understanding and backed out of the room giving us the chance to say goodbye to one another.

I saved Edward for last as I made my way around the room, Esme kissed my forehead and played with the ends of my hair maternally, Carlisle hugged me tightly and placed the palm of his hand on my cheek. Rosalie patted the top of my head and grinned at me, Emmett squeezed me half to death with one of his bear hugs, and Jasper pulled me into an embrace with he and Alice, she was still unwilling to let him go.

Then it came to saying goodbye to Edward. The thought crushed me, I had been expecting it to, but it still didn't take away the sense of the loss. .Since I had been changed I hadn't spent more than an hour out of Edward's company, and even the thought of that was hard for me to accept. Yet, here we were, and I had absolutely no idea how long he would be gone. I could feel the fear rising inside of me, the anxiety was chipping away at my small spark of optimism. I walked into his open arms and placed my head on his broad chest, breathing in his scent as I tried with everything I had not to think of this as goodbye.

"It's not a goodbye, Love."

"Then why does it feel that way?" I asked, wishing I could cry, but being happy I couldn't at the same time. At least I was sparing him the pain of my weakness.

"Hmm,"

Dammit maybe not . . . I had a feeling I would never get used to this barrier being up. It would be a comfort to me now, but I was glad I could remove it if necessary.

"What would you hide from me?" he whispered into my hair, I could hear the small in his voice.

'Nothing, but it would be nice to think and not have anyone know what I was thinking." I laughed.

"I don't know, I think I could get used to this." he whispered resting his lips on my forehead.

I grinned into his chest and inhaled his scent again, I knew the others were waiting for him but I couldn't relinquish my hold on him, I couldn't force myself to say goodbye.

"See you soon, my love. Not goodbye, I will never say goodbye again, I did it once, that was enough for me." His voice was practically silent as his breath blew stray strands of hair around my face.

I hated that he remember that with his perfect clarity, I had a dull, but still painful human memory of all of that.

"I love you, come home soon." I whispered.

"I'll talk to you tonight."

I nodded and noted the separation anxiety that consumed me at the loss of his touch, I tried not to think about it, I knew it would make it harder for him than it needed to be. I walked with him to the door where Jasper stood with his arms wrapped around Alice. The look they shared was full of an intimacy and understanding, I felt as though I was interrupting.

Alice's small figure turned and her thin arms wrapped around my waist as she stepped away from Jasper. I could see my pain reflected on both of their faces. As much as Alice and I loved one another's company it was nothing compared to that of the men we loved, there was nothing in the universe that could replace that.

Edward and Jasper disappeared into the trees with one last look, leaving Alice and I with our arms around one another staring at the space in which they had disappeared.

"I hate this." she whined delicately.

"Me too," I conceded. "I just hope they get back quickly."

"They will," her eyes lit up as they refocused.

I raised my eyebrows at my smallest vampire sister and smiled. I was glad that out of anyone to stay behind other than Edward it was her. Her talent would come in useful with my panic attacks, I would know most of what was going on, and I would know when to expect them home.

We turned to re-enter the house and saw Demetri standing awkwardly in the hidden hall under the stairs, a small bemused small stretched across his lips. I appreciated his effort at keeping out of the way for our goodbyes, but I felt oddly guilty at the same time.

"I never realized how close you all were. Marcus saw the bonds, but I never for a second anticipated just how strong they were." Demetri Mused.

"We're a family, Demetri." Alice replied. "We don't have an ulterior motive, we just want to be left alone. World domination is Aro's forte."

Demetri laughed at the affirmation, "I can see that, anyone who spends more than ten minutes in this house would see that. Unfortunately, those accusations were an excuse. Still, I hope it all works out the way we intend it to. It would be a sad world if your compassion was taken from it."

Demetri's admission made me smile. If everything indeed worked out as we hoped the Volturi would be abolished, and our kind would be free from tyrannical rule of the dictatorship. I understood enough to know that there were still vampires out there that thought themselves above the law, but I hoped that without such diabolical leadership they would settle for living peacefully. I didn't agree with the deaths of humans to satiate thirsts, but it was the very nature of our kind. One that could, in my belief, be executed without gluttony.

Alice moved away from me and fell gracefully into the closest couch. I followed her lead and took a seat next to her. Demetri, moved to one of the over stuffed chairs and lowered himself gently into it. He knew that Alice had questions, he could see it in her eyes as she appraised him.

"Could I ask you a question, Demetri?" She finally said, her eyes wide and eager.

"Please, be my guest."

"Were you ever mated? You seem too . . . well, too altruistic to be single."

Demetri laughed heartily, "I never found anyone, being a guard in the Volturi doesn't allow much free time to wander and mingle with society outside of Volterra. It was never a priority I'm afraid, especially after what happened with Didyme."

"That's a shame," Alice sighed.

"Maybe once things settle down a little, I will have more time for things such as that." Demetri smiled appreciatively.

Alice's face brightened a little, "I'm sorry, Demetri. I don't see anything yet, but maybe the right decision hasn't been made yet. I will keep an eye out for you." She concentrated once again on something in her vision that distracted her, she grinned at little at the revelation, "Bella, Charlie is going to be coming this way later this afternoon, he hasn't heard from you since the cab dropped us off, he's worried."

I nodded and tried to fight the inevitable eye roll, of course he would venture up here, he wanted answers.

"Oh and Tanya and the others will be arriving tomorrow afternoon, Carlisle called them while you were . . . _indisposed_." Alice laughed.

I tried to fight the embarrassment as it flooded my system, and I had never been so glad that I could no longer blush. Poor Demetri must have wondered what Alice was referring to, but it wasn't something I would ever bring up in a conversation, so he would have to continue wondering.

"I have another question for you." Alice said thoughtfully. "How did you and the guard that have deflected, keep this from Aro? I know his ability and how strong it is, I just wonder how you have hidden this from him for so long."

Demetri smiled and considered his answer. "Aro's gift is powerful, you have seen him use it fully, but he has the ability to pull only what he needs from a mind. When he first encounters you, he will pull your full history. After that he only pulls what he needs. After Didyme's death, he consistently checked Marcus' mind to see whether Marcus suspected him. As I said before, I kept that to myself, Aro had seen this in my mind but he also saw that I had no intention of sharing the information with Marcus, or anyone else for that matter. It would have been suicide to do so. He would have disposed of me if I had have divulged that to anyone."

I cringed at the thought, Aro seemed to think nothing of killing his own kind to get ahead, it's what I had feared before we had left for Volterra. I knew what he wanted and I had been sure he would take it by force if necessary. He wouldn't have thought twice about killing the members of our family he didn't need to ensure our alliance. Demetri was confirming those suspicions and it sent a chill down my spine.

"Aro stopped keeping such a vigilant watch on Marcus' mind because he hated the reminder of his treachery. So he began only taking what Marcus offered. I bided my time well and for many centuries kept the promise of not revealing what I knew. Eventually, Aro stopped looking and only pulled the information he needed from me. The other guards, aren't often interrogated, Aro is too arrogant to consider mutiny."

"I guess it would seem like a waste of time to him, repeating what he had already seen." Alice deduced.

"To him, it is." Demetri sighed. "Bella's gift is essential to our success. Their main offensive is, as you know, Jane and Alec. Without them, they would have to physically fight. Not many of them are as well trained as the older guards. In the early years of the Volturi's rule, we had to physically fight to get what we needed, it was the only way we gained respect. Our numbers were always larger than the covens we took on, but in some cases it was never enough, there were barbarian vampires, living on their instincts alone. They would fight to the death, quite literally, so we had to be prepared."

I felt my eyes widen as he described some of the battles he had seen. I knew, from some of the books Carlisle kept that there had been some brutal vampire wars raging on the underground, but hearing them firsthand was quite a different experience.

"The quieter times came after the Volturi were established as rulers and of course, a force to be reckoned with. We were feared, eliminating any need for battle. When Aro found the twins, he thought himself, and the Volturi, invincible. To most extent's they are, it's the reason Aro is so determined to bring the two of you into the guard. Bella, your talent would deflect any incoming attack, Alice, your talent would tell them everything before it happened. This is the other indication Marcus needed, he knew it was time to mobilize the offensive, with the two of you a part of the guard, Aro and Caius _would_ be invincible."

Alice's dainty frame shuddered at the thought.

"I know how difficult it was for you to trust me. I also appreciate that you are willing to explain it to the others as they arrive, they would not trust me if I was the only one here to explain"

Demetri was right, most vampires would be highly weary of his involvement, he was often the spearhead in attacks because his ability made his tracking infallible, so he was one of the better know guards.

My attention was pulled from Demetri as I heard a car slow at the end of the driveway and turn onto the small road. My head tipped to the side so I could analyze the sound, it was familiar in a new way. I could remember the sound but it had always been with human ears that the sound had reached me, and always closer. It was Charlie, and he was in his cruiser.

"Alice?"

"It's fine, once we explain, partially of course, he won't be difficult."

"Would you like me to leave?" Demetri asked.

"Not necessary, I think you should let Charlie see you before you take off again." Alice said moving to stand up, she was going to greet Charlie at the door. "But I'll leave that decision with you."

Demetri smiled appreciatively, Alice had seen that he wanted an escape and she had given to him.

"This is a family affair, I feel I should leave you to speak privately. Alice, if you could show me your library, I would greatly appreciate it, Carlisle was telling me about his collection."

"Certainly,"

Alice winked at me and disappeared with Demetri just as the cruiser came to a stop outside the house. I cursed her quietly under my breath as I walked towards the door, she had promised me I wouldn't be doing this alone, and here she was leaving me alone with Charlie, who, I was sure, would have a question directly after he greeted me.

I pulled open the door and smiled at my father as he wearily climbed the porch steps.

"I thought I was coming to you, Dad?" I said keeping my tone light.

'Well, it's been three days, Bella. Wasn't sure how long I would have to wait." he eyed the space behind me as I swung the door open wide enough for him to get past me.

"It's safe, Dad."

He nodded and stepped into the confines of my new home. His eyes widened as he surveyed the house. I remembered my first time in the house and smiled, I had forgotten how overwhelming everything was, this had been my second home for so long I was used to it all.

"Wow."

'I know, it's Esme's hobby." I said eyeing the room trying to imagine his perspective.

Charlie turned to me, his face serious. "How long have you known?"

I sighed and nodded to one of the couches as I made my way to another. I was getting thirsty and didn't want to take any unnecessary chances being so close. He took the seat and eyed me expectantly.

"Do you remember when Tyler Crowley's van almost hit me in the parking lot of Fork's High?"

Charlie nodded.

"I suspected something then . . . I wasn't sure how, but I knew that there was something different about Edward. He had been almost three cars down from me as the van came towards me, but in, literally . . . half a second he was pushing me out of the path of the van. Then he stopped the van with his hands. It was a little confusing at the time."

Charlie's eyes widened.

"Edward saved me, but he denied everything, he ignored me for weeks after that, he was afraid I had figured the mystery out."

"Had you?"

"No, I was clueless, I just knew something was different, the constant changing of his eye color confused me as well. I had puzzle pieces I simply couldn't put together."

"Do they have . . . _fangs_?" he whispered the last word leaning towards me.

I could hear the tintinnabulation of Alice's laugh as she listened to the conversation, I smiled broadly, I was sure Charlie had missed the subtle sound.

"Dad, do I have fangs?" I laughed, grinning at him and showing me teeth. "That's a misconception, made up by Hollywood to make us seem more terrifying. You have to understand, to every human we're not real, the Cullens, the Volturi, the werewolves, and . . . well, me, we're legends, we don't exist in the real world. That's how it's meant to be, so the stereotypical urban legends are let go."

"Garlic?"

"Myth!" Alice laughed gliding down the stairs to join us.

"All of it?"

"Well, sunlight . . ."

"It burns you?" Charlie jumped in.

I shook my head and smiled. "It doesn't hurt us at all, but the effect is quite impressive."

Charlie's eyes widened as he looked between Alice and I. We both giggled, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Why are your eyes a different color to the Cullens?"

"Bella still has her human blood in her system, her eyes will gradually change to the same color as ours, we feed from animals rather than the traditional diet of . . ." I shook my head cutting off Alice. Unfortunately it was a moot point.

"But the other . . . vampires, in Italy, their eyes were red."

Alice nodded and looked to me as she explained. "They consume human blood, it's the nature of what we are, but you see our eyes indicate our lifestyle choices. We call ourselves vegetarians because we abstain from human blood. Your daughter, is quite an anomaly, our instinctual urges are quite strong during the first year, but Bella seems to have foregone that altogether and assimilated to our diet with an unnatural ease."

I hated that she was boasting about me to my own father, this was awkward enough without all of that. I looked down at the hands in my lap but I could feel Charlie's eyes appraising me carefully.

"So when did you find out that they were . . . Vampires?" Charlie chocked on the word but I released the air in my lungs, glad we had skipped over the praise.

"Well, it was actually Jacob that tipped me off. When I went down to first beach with the kids from school, Edward and his family went . . . hunting. One of the kids was trying to get a reaction out of me and mentioned Edward. Sam, who I found out after that, was already a wolf, explained that the Cullen's weren't welcome on the Quileute territory. It caught my attention because of the venomous tone he used to say their name."

"Yes, Bella also solved the silent feud between us and the wolves." Alice grinned winking at me.

"Anyway, Jacob and I went for a walk and he told me the legends, and he told me the Cullen's were the 'cold ones,' in the story." I smiled remembering my pathetic attempt at flirting, the smiled faded as I realized where it had led me. I sucked in a large breath.

"When I got home I did some research, and still nothing matched and even though I was sure that in my heart I knew it to be the truth, I couldn't match it with the information I found. Then I came to a realization . . ."

Charlie's eyebrows rose as if I had reached the quintessential part of the story.

"I realized I didn't care, I already cared too much for him to stay away."

"Did he know that Jacob had told you?"

"Not until I told him, you see it was sunny that week, so all of the Cullens were out of school. When I went to Port Angeles with Jessica and Angela, that was the night he realized I knew."

I swallowed hard knowing that I would be reprimanded for this part of the story. I had known at the time how foolish I had been, but I couldn't change the past now, and it had all lead to where I was now. If nothing had happened that night and I had stayed with Jessica and Angela, Edward wouldn't have needed to seek me out alone, and I would probably never have the courage to ask him about it at school. I shuddered at that, I couldn't imagine anything being different now. I couldn't imagine my life without Edward in it this way.

"Well, what happened?" Charlie asked.

"I was cornered by some less than savory characters. There were four of them and the were closing in on me. Edward luckily heard me and came to my rescue, he was angrier than I had ever seen him, seething. I had to calm him down as he drove me out of the situation. Edward had heard the thoughts of my attackers and followed the pictures to me."

"Thoughts?"

"Yes Charlie, you see some of us vampires have . . . gifts, I guess you could say. Edward can read the thoughts passing through your mind, I can see a little of the future through decisions made. Jasper, my husband, he can manipulate emotions. Bella, can shield minds, her own and those around her."

Charlie's face flickered through shades of red before settling back to normal. I knew he was remembering every thought he'd had of Edward while Edward was at our house. I also knew they wouldn't have been the nicest of thoughts.

"You mean . . . ?"

I nodded, biting back my smile. "He didn't blame you though."

Charlie's mouth fell open and closed several times before he was able to compose himself. I decided to skip the chagrin.

"Anyway, he drove me home that night and I told him my theory, I also mentioned I didn't care and he wasn't happy about it."

"Why?"

""He thought he was a danger to me."

"Was he?"

"Never, he constantly saved my life. I would be dead ten times over if he hadn't intercepted."

"Yes, Bella as a human was a magnet for every life or death situation in this small town. You wouldn't think there would be so many, but Bella managed to pull them all out of a hat." Alice giggled.

"Phoenix?"

"That was a vampire who fed from humans, I left to keep you safe, Dad, and I never meant anything I said the night I left."

"I know." Charlie sighed, smiling at me. "I wasn't sure what had happened, but I could see the fear in your eyes. I thought Edward had hurt you, but then you told me you liked him too much . . . I was confused, but I knew that you meant me no harm."

"I still said them." I whispered.

"It's forgotten, Bells."

I nodded and smiled at him gently. "Edward went after the Vampire and his mate to stop them, and I went to Phoenix with Alice and Jasper. James found me and called me on Alice's cell phone, he told me he had mom and used an old family movie to make me believe it. I escaped from Alice and Jasper's protection and went to him . . ."

Charlie's eyes grew larger than I had ever seen them at my admission. I could see the flash of fear running behind his eyes as the pieces fit together. Horror popped his mouth open audibly. "He did that to you?"

I nodded and bit my lip, "Yes, but he would have killed me if it hadn't been for Edward."

Charlie bobbed his head.

"That's why he left, he was so afraid something like that would happen again, he moved his family away from Forks. He was trying to protect me."

Alice and I exchanged a look, there was a portion of the story I had left out but we both knew why I had done it. I couldn't and wouldn't ever blame Jasper for those months, he blamed himself but it was never his decision to leave. What had happened had been an accident. Alice's eyes smiled at me as she realized what I was doing.

"You were so hurt. You put up so many walls, I was afraid you would never break through them."

"I know," I nodded and bit my lip before it began trembling, the pain felt so real when I remembered it with Charlie. He had lived through that too, seeing me devastated, locked inside myself, withering like a wilted flower.

"Edward suffered too. They couldn't live without one another, he hunted the mate of the vampire that hurt Bella in Phoenix, it was his sole mission. Believe me, I know your pain Charlie, Edward locked all of us out too. He was just too stubborn to fix it, he thought he was doing what was best for Bella." Alice said gently, one hand resting on Charlie's arm.

"That's when I discovered the truth about the wolves, I spent so much time with Jacob, when he disappeared it felt too familiar, and I decided I wouldn't let him go without a fight, so I sought out the truth. When I discovered it I thought they were what was murdering the hikers, it was the day you went looking for the wolves in the forest. I had to let them know you were out there so they wouldn't hurt you, but then I realized it was the mate of the vampire in Phoenix that was murdering the hikers, the wolves were trying to protect them."

Charlie nodded.

"So once I knew what they were, and they realized what the vampire was after, they started protecting us. Jacob was out on patrol after a sighting of the vampire, and I was bored. The day that Harry died, was the day I jumped from the cliff. Jacob saved me from drowning, but it was close."

Charlie's eyes were bulging from the sockets.

"I saw Bella jump, which is why I arrived that day, but I never saw her saved. That's when I discovered I can't see the wolves, which is why I didn't see Bella being saved. I thought she was dead and came to help you, but she was alive, and I have never been happier in my long life. Unfortunately, Edward heard the news of Bella's death second hand and when he called to speak to you, you were at Mr. Clearwater's funeral and Jacob answered the phone. When Edward asked where you were, Jacob said only that you were at _the _funeral, and Edward assumed it was Bella's."

"When I disappeared for those three days, I was in Italy, with the Volturi. Edward had gone to get himself killed thinking I was dead."

Charlie gasped audibly, his eyes moved between Alice and I as he put the pieces together . . . I had been in Volterra when I was human.

"Edward couldn't stand the thought of living without Bella, he loved her too much to live without her, we made it in time, but the Volturi realized that Bella was indeed alive and that she knew our secret. We had two choices, die there, or change Bella into one of us." Alice finished quickly as I tried to block the images from my mind.

"Dad, you should know that I had asked numerous times before that, but Edward had always refused. He felt if he changed me he would be condemning me to an eternity of pain and aggravation from bloodlust. It was the very reason he had left in the beginning."

"He tried to save your life and you walked straight into an ultimatum."

I nodded. "Danger magnet, remember."

Alice giggled at my own admission. I had the worst luck as a human, and although I had been through problems as a vampire, fate seemed to be dealing me a decent hand. Unfortunately, the tenor of that said hand, all depended on Demetri's word.

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**A/N: Woo Hoo, guess who has internet finally!! Yay me . . . Okay enough of that!! I am, after this dreadfully long week behind in chapters, so I only have a half one up, and then of course I am on vacation starting Wednesday. Anywho, I will try and keep updates as regualr as possible, I have missed writing and posting and of course you guys :0) . . . on a side note I got Rock band two and I made a band called The Cullens and the band members are the Cullen kids . . . yes _I am_ that lame lmao.  
**

**As always thanks for the alerts and Faves, and a huge THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS . . . I HEART YOU GUYS, Y'ALL ARE AWESOME :0) . . . YOU SERIOUSLY ROCK!!**

**-BIG HUGZ - L -**


	23. Chapter 23

_**All things Twilight belong to the awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

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**Chapter 24 - Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My. . .**

"So you agreed to just give up your mortality?" Charlie seemed shocked.

"Yes, but I had made my mind up long before that, Dad. I knew what I wanted after the incident in Phoenix. Finally, after Volterra, Edward agreed to change me if I married him. He is old fashioned and wanted to do this the right way."

"So being a vampire was what _you_ wanted?"

"Yes, I loved Edward, and after everything that had happened I knew that I couldn't live without him, and he wouldn't live without me. So I wanted an eternity with him. It's all I've ever wanted, we were made for each other. I believe that with all of my heart."

Charlie raised his eyebrows. It seemed he had picked up on the connotations of that word as much as us vampires had. I actually had to fight not to laugh, I felt relieved that he was taking it well enough to make jokes.

"You know what I mean!" I sighed.

"If it's the right thing for you, that's all I need to know." Charlie said picking up my hands. "All a father wants is for his daughter to be happy, and you seem genuinely happy, Bells. I can't argue with that. I would rather you were alive, and I can't help feeling a little strangely about that, but then the knowledge that you will live forever strangely warms me. Does that make any sense?"

I smiled broadly as I nodded and noticed Charlie wince slightly. "You'll get used to it." I laughed throwing my hands around his neck, and truly hugging him.

"What about the vampires that came home with you?"

"One of them is dead, the one that killed Sam, the wolves killed him." Alice said matter-of-factly. "The other is actually quite friendly."

"You know what you're doing," Charlie said eyeing my sister contemplatively. "And I to mention, I got the pleasure of seeing Jacob . . . uh . . . phasing, I think he called it. The boy stripped down to the skin he was born in and exploded into a wolf. I would have preferred not to have seen that." Charlie chuckled as the color drained his face.

That was such a Jacob thing to do I couldn't help but laugh. I should have known he wouldn't keep that to himself. As angry as he had been in the beginning he had become proud of what he was now. I was, in a way, proud of him. He had accepted so much responsibility, he was Alpha, and chief of the Quileutes. The very future of his people now rested on his shoulders.

"He's just proud of what he is, Dad. I can honestly say I'm proud of him, he's grown up so much in the last couple of weeks."

Charlie nodded, "Well, at least with you what you see is what you get."

I laughed as Charlie chuckled at his own joke, it seemed this had been a little easier than I had anticipated, I just hoped he wouldn't ask and sticky questions, He chuckled died away with a sigh and he looked around the room carefully, his gaze locked on to something across the room and his eyes widened in speculation. My eyes followed his . . . There, stood still at the bottom of the stairs was Demetri. He looked a little sheepish as my fathers gaze turned into a scowl.

"Dad, no. Demetri is a friend. He'd agreed to come with us to . . ."

"Escape!" Alice cut in quickly seeing where I was going with my explanation. "Remember I told you about Bella's gift? Well, he's protected by that now so they won't find us at all."

Alice was normally wonderful at making up stories on the spot, but there were a million holes in this lie, but it seemed to placate my father, for now. He relaxed his rigid spine and let his eyes wander from Demetri, who looked stunned at the death glare my father had given _him_, a vampire, a volturi guard nonetheless.

I grinned at Demetri knowingly. Charlie looked a little more uncomfortable in front of him, I could see the difference in his body language as he sat in the chair, and he halted the line of questioning. We may trust Demetri, but Charlie sure as hell didn't, I couldn't really blame him, he'd spent almost four days in the company of these vampires, and Demetri had been seemingly loyal.

"Well, I should be going," Charlie said standing and glancing at Demetri, "But people know you're back and I used Carlisle's medical expertise to explain your differences. He told me what to say, but I put it in my own words. I saw Mike Newton yesterday, he's leaving for College next week and wanted to say goodbye, I told him it wasn't a good idea."

Alice smothered a laugh at Mike's name and had a flawless poker face on when Charlie looked at her from the corner of his eye. Charlie nodded and headed towards the door slowly, I knew he was hesitant, but Demetri's presence made him nervous, I could almost smell the adrenaline coursing through his blood.

"Dad, you really don't need to go." I stood up and met his gaze. "We'll be having visitors around here soon and I won't be able to get around to see you for a while. I was hoping to spend more time with you than an hour."

Charlie smiled at my eagerness and laid a gentle kiss on my forehead as though I was more fragile than I had been before my transformation. The gesture was sweet, but it was strange when you considered the reality of it all, I could, after all, lift a car over my head. I wrapped my hands gently around his waist.

"You make it sound as though you live across the country, Bells. I'm just in town."

"I know." I smiled.

I remembered how I'd envied Jacob having no secrets between him and Billy and I realized I had finally gotten myself into the same situation, it would make everything so much easier between Charlie and I. I couldn't say the same for Renee unfortunately.

"Maybe you should tell mom I'm in Dartmouth so she doesn't ask any questions."

"I was wondering about that, I've been screening her calls."

Alice laughed out loud and Charlie and I turned to look at her.

"Renee will be calling again tonight, and she will be angry, just a little warning. She's worried about Bella, she hasn't spoken to her since the wedding, and you not answering her calls is making her anxious. She may give you a hard time to start with but she'll be more reasonable when you tell her Bella is alright."

Charlie nodded and pulled me in for another hug, this time I held my breath, my abstinence was going well but I hadn't hunted in almost a weak and I knew my eyes were getting dark from my thirst. I didn't want to take any chances.

"Love you, Bells." Charlie said and stepped away from me.

"Love you too, Dad."

Alice and I walked Charlie to the door and watched as he climbed into his cruiser. I was sure that wasn't the end of the questioning but I was hopeful that the worst of it had passed. The rest, in my belief, would be easy, I just needed him to avoid anything that would leave to the revelation of my nights in Forks, because every night Edward had been in my bed with me.

"That went well." Alice said closing the door as the cruiser disappeared down the drive towards the highway.

"Yeah, he took it better than I thought he would."

"Did you see his reaction when you explained Edward could read minds?" she giggled.

I had to laugh at that, Charlie's face was a picture, I just wished Edward could have been there to see that, it would have been interesting to see what had passed through his mind as the realization hit.

"You need to hunt." Alice observed looking into my eyes. "I think it would be wise for us both to go before people start arriving."

Demetri was sat as still as a statue on the couch watching us as we approached. His eyes were the only thing moving as he followed our movements. He looked more comfortable with Charlie's exit. Having been around only the Cullen's, I hadn't considered how hard it would be for a conventional vampire to be in the same room with my father, a human.

"Would you like to join us Demetri?" Alice asked sweetly, knowing already, I was sure, what his answer would be.

"I have to admit, I am curious."

Alice laughed and I could see the cogs in her mind beginning to turn. It was obvious that Demetri himself picked up on the scheming. He chuckled as he rose from the couch. "The look you have suggests you will be challenging me, Alice."

"Nothing terrible." Alice laughed. "Just curious as to whether we can sway your tastes."

Demetri laughed again. "Centuries of habit cannot be undone in one day."

"No, but it's a start."

Demetri laughed heartily as he moved to the door.

"Where are we going?" I asked Alice following her out of the house. She had picked up keys to one of the cars.

"Goat Rock, we can't have Demetri's first vegetarian meal being a herbivore."

I agreed with that assessment, carnivores tasted so much better than the herbivores, the latter tasted earthy and held less appeal than it's counterpart, yet to me, I could happily sustain on either. To someone like Demetri, who had only fed on human blood, it would be the closest comparison of the choices.

Alice had, of course, picked up the keys to the Jeep. We didn't take the routes the humans were encouraged to use, which were on the opposite side of the mountain where no so many bears roamed, so the four wheel drive would be useful considering there were no set paths. Demetri climbed in the back and left the front seats for Alice and I.

I realized that this was where we had been going the day we found out about Sam's death. Emmett had agreed to accompany me to goat Rock so I could observe him hunting the bears. So much had changed since then it felt as though it had been a lifetime ago. Alice was pulling out of the garage as I tried to shake the feeling, I knew dwelling on it would change nothing, no matter how much I wished it would.

The drive was quiet as we took the scenic roads, no one had too much to say so we kept quiet and watched nature pass us by. My throat was beginning to ache with my thirst, I was still trying to expand time between feedings so I was pushing myself to the limits. Knowing what was coming, I realized how little time I would have to fulfill my needs. After today, we would be needed at the house constantly, and neither of us would have much time to wander far, so we had to make most of the time we had today.

Alice took a turn and began driving the rough terrain to the mountain, as off road as the Jeep was, it still didn't get us far. The sides of the mountain grew steeper as she pushed it on. The three of us bounced violently in our seats, yet it wasn't uncomfortable as I had remembered it being when I was human.

We finally got to where the Jeep wouldn't go any further and climbed out. Alice and I stood and listened as we picked up scents on the breeze. Demetri watched us carefully, finally following our lead. The bears were plentiful here which was why humans were encouraged to stay away.

There was a scent coming in strong from the northwest, so Alice took the initiative and headed out first, Demetri and I flanked her on either side as we ran through the trees. It was nice to run so freely again, especially after thinking Volterra would be our end, the fresh smell of the fall air mingling with the bears scent felt almost homely to me.

The scent grew stronger the farther we ran, and it divided. I wasn't sure how many bears were in the area but there was at least two ahead of us. Alice slowed down to a walk and treaded carefully as she approached a small clearing. Her eyes darted to the tree line checking for cubs.

"It's a male." Alice whispered almost silently. "There's a female close by but there are no cubs in the trees. Demetri, would you like to go first?"

Demetri's eyes widened as he viewed the large black bear picking at the vegetation surrounding the clearing.

"It's just fed from a deer. I can smell the the carcass." Alice whispered triumphantly. I knew that this is what she had been looking for. Bears didn't often feed on the deer, they were omnivores, they took the opportunities when they came. She knew that being fall the bears were beginning to stock up for the winter so they would look for heavier meals. I let my sense of smell expand but retracted it as the smell reached me. It wasn't pleasant.

Demetri nodded in agreement and glided smoothly towards the black bear. Alice and I followed slowly giving him a wide berth to work. The bear didn't pay any attention to the man approaching him until he was almost on top of him. It didn't take long for it to lose the confusion of the unexpected appearance, and the large animal rolled into action, it let out a loud wail before pushing up onto it's hind legs.

The bear was large and stood at least a head over Demetri, it wavered on it's hind legs as it swung at him. Demetri danced out of it's reach before it's claws met their mark. The bear let another growl ripple through the clearing, it's head rose in the air as it's lips trembled with the sound passing through them. It was being driven by anger as it continued to swipe at the vampire in front of it.

"Demetri, it can't hurt you. Have fun with it." Alice called.

The bears eyes looked to us, it was the break Demetri needed and he sprung at the bear with such agile precision it made me cringe, I imagined that was what the humans would see when Demetri sprang at them. He works so quickly they would see just a blur.The thought made me shudder my empathetic nature took over. I knew I could never live with myself if I ever took a human life. The bear went down hard on the ground but Demetri's mouth was already at the neck of the animal, draining the blood from the large body, the bear didn't have a chance to fight back as it was drained. It's limbs slowed as the blood was drained, the lethargic movements became exaggerated until they stopped altogether.

Alice and I stood silently watching, his style was so surreptitious that his human prey would probably have no idea he was even stalking them, his movements were so quickly executed our keen eyes were barely able to see them, it sent an ice cold shiver down my spine, but it also gave me hope. The Volturi would have no chance if all of the fighters with his abilities were with Marcus.

Demetri hopped up from the bear and turned to face us, his face was full of surprise. "There's certainly a difference, but the taste isn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Alice's face broke into a wild smile. "What was that about centuries of habit?"

Demetri grinned. "I didn't say I was sold, Alice. Simply that I could see how it could satisfy the urges."

Alice grinned in reply, almost as though she knew something we didn't. Maybe there was hope after all. . .

Alice and I moved quickly as we fed and Demetri continued to observe, he didn't participate again but happily watched as we made our way across the edge of the mountain. Alice encouraged me to try a bear, but I was nervous, not because I feared the bear, but because I knew I could never execute a kill like her or Demetri and I was certain that I would not make it out of the situation without some rip or tearing of my clothes.

I tried to separate myself from the others when I finally decided to take my chances. Being alone gave me a small sense of bravado. I picked up a scent as I chased a deer across the terrain. It didn't smell like a bear but the tenor of the scent was the same, it wasn't the earthy scent of the deer. I stopped and let the scent guide me towards it.

It seemed like it was above the ground as I continued to move forwards, the smell was angled coming at me from an elevated level, my sense worked quickly telling me it was at least ten feet from the ground. It grew higher the closer I became. I slowed and moved against the trees as I approached, I could heart the heart beat of the animal as it moved around. My eyes followed the sound, it _was_ above me. I wasn't sure what it was, from the angle I was stood, it could have been a bear cub. I eased forward to get a better look. I saw the fur color first, and drew in a long breath, it wasn't a bear . . . it was a mountain lion.

I smiled to myself as I realized what was perched sixteen feet above me, it was Edward's favorite prey. I knew I could do this, I wanted to do this. I appraised the branches of the tree opposite from that of the animal, the branches started half way up the tree, my eyes measured the distance and my body reacted without much encouragement.

I bent my knees in preparation for the jump and felt my muscles coil as my predator instinct took over me. I leapt once and caught the branch as my body propelled t1owards it. I swung as the momentum pushed me forwards and gravity pulled me back. The thrill of being able to do anything like this was creating a buzz of excitement to run through me. It was a challenge, something I hadn't realized I'd been craving.

The large cat looked towards me and bore it's teeth in warning, the game had started but this time the cat was my mouse. I swung my legs over the branch and pulled my body upright. The low snarling growl reached me as I settled into my perch I smiled at the animal bearinig my teeth this time. My eyes apprasied it as it watched my movements.

The mountain lion was beautiful in the most spectacular way, and Edward's words ran through my mind, it seemed even more relevant now, looking at the beauty of this animal it gave his comment about tastes being indicative more relevance than ever. The thin sleek muscular body, the lithe movements the intense amber eyes, everything about this creature was beautiful.

I brought my feet up under me on the branch and balanced myself ready for the pounce, the scent of this animal was calling me to it. I kept my legs bent as I moved towards the edge. The cat stood and balanced itself, it's eyes never leaving me and my predatory stance. I could smell it's fear as it watched me approach. even the movement below didn't draw my attention fully away, we stared at one another, waiting.

In my peripheral vision I saw Alice come to a halt in the trees below me, Demetri not far behind, but I could spare them any of my concentration. The mountain lion was about to make it's move, and I knew, through my instincts alone, that it would be away from me rather than towards me.

I steadied myself with my hands and let my muscles bunch in the anticipation, we moved at the same time and collided in mid air, my spring had pushed me towards it as it darted in the opposite direction. I could feel the claws as they tried to penetrate my skin, but they found no weakness in its search. We hit the ground together and the impact caused the air to whistle out of the animals lungs, I took my chance and brought my lips to it's neck while it was stunned.

The flavor was wonderful as it traveled over my expectant throat, the warmth lapped against my tongue as it traveled into my system. I sucked greedily at the fluid until the animal was completely still. It was such a beautiful creature that a small glint of guilt tugged at the edges of me. It wasn't able to last long though, Alice was soon beside me grinning, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Now that was impressive. I think I can forgive the slashes in your clothes for that."

I grinned at her and looked down at myself, out of habit, I bit my lip. My eyes scanned the forest for Demetri but never found him. There were claw marks across the front me, exposing my bra underneath.

"I sent him to the car to get the bag of extra clothes I always keep in there, Rosalie likes playing with her food as much as Emmett does." she grinned.

I nodded and let myself relax, that would make things a little less awkwatd as I cleaned up after myself. We made our way back towards the Jeep when I was finished, and found the bag sitting in the forest, far enough away to where the Jeep was still hidden and Demetri couldn't see me. Alice pulled the bag open and rifled through the contents.

Her face fell in disappointment as she checked the bag again. her sigh of resignation caught my attention.

"I guess she took what was in here, I guess you'll have to wear one of Edward's sweaters for now."

That certainly wasn't a problem, I just hoped that it would still have his scent on it. I missed him terribly. Alice placed the soft material in my hands and held out her hand for my torn clothing. I pulled it over my head and handed it to her before pulling the too-large sweater of Edward's over my head. His scent filled the sweater but it was faint because it had been washed, still, it was enough for me and I certainly wasn't complaining. It was just the comfort I needed before having to return to the house that was empty of everyone but us. It was also the most normal thing I had worn since the dartmouth sweater on my first hunt.

Alice and I made our way back to the Jeep, but before we reached it, a small buzzing filled the silence that surrounded us, it was a phone, but who's phone was it? Was Aro already breaking his promise of a month?

* * *

**A/N: Sorry Bella was getting hungry . . . LOL . . . but I should probably warn you, things will be full from here on out.**

**I am not going to bore you with a super long authors note today . . . I am currently writing the next chapter so I figured I'd keep it short.**

**Thank you for all the faves and alerts . . . AND THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS WHO TOTALLY MAKE ME SMILE AND LAUGH, YOU ARE ALL ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS AND I ADORE YOU ALL . . . AND YOU TOTALLY ROCK!! I HEART YOU ALL :0)  
**

**BIG HUGS - L -**


	24. Chapter 24

_**All things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

* * *

**Chapter 25 - Nascency**

Alice and I sped up our actions so that we could hurry back to the Jeep, the buzzing of the phone was generic so we couldn't distinguish it from any other. I envied Alice her talent, she knew who it was but I didn't have time to ask, I was more interested in getting to the phone before it stopped ringing. We hoped it would be one of the family members . . . I hoped it would be Edward.

Demetri was sat in the back of the Jeep looking for us, I felt my tense muscles relax as I realized it was one of our phones. I opened the door as quickly as I could while still being gentle, I didn't want to rip the door from it's frame in my eagerness to answer the phone. If it was my phone, I knew it would be Edward.

My phone was sat in the center console of the Jeep and I flipped it open, after recognized the number. My mind was buzzing with the anticipation of hearing Edward's voice.

"Edward," my voice was full of my excitement.

"Bella," I could hear the smile in his voice as he said my name.

"Is everything alright?"

"Fine, Love. I just wanted to let you know what was going on."

I smiled at the phone, I had never been so happy to hear his voice, and being completely honest, if everything was alright the context really didn't matter anymore, just hearing his voice was pure bliss.

"Good to know." he chuckled.

"What's that?" I asked perplexed.

"That you're glad to hear my voice."

I squealed like an infant into the phone. "You can still hear me?"

"I can hear everyone you're protecting."

That was an interesting development. I wasn't sure how far the others had traveled, but if Edward could hear them it would give them some form of communication, and it would also mean he knew how much I missed him.

"I miss you too, Love."

I smiled at his admission.

"I also saw that mountain lion you found."

I laughed, "Then you saw how my shirt never had a chance . . ."

"Oh I saw that through Alice's eyes, I didn't want to miss that."

Alice and Demetri chuckled as my mouth fell open, I forgot they could hear practically every word Edward was saying. My chagrin didn't last long, I was too wrapped up in the sound of Edward's voice.

"At least _you_ get something visual." I pouted, joining in with his banter.

Edward laughed into the phone, "There was another reason I called,"

"Which was?" I asked.

"We came across a nomad on our travels, he knows of us, we've explained a little to him but we told him that you and Alice would be able to explain in a little more detail. He should arrive there within the next couple of hours."

"Okay, we're heading back there now, we should beat him there. Tanya and the others will be arriving tomorrow morning."

"That's what Jasper was saying." He chuckled lightly. "He wants to speak to Alice."

"Okay, I miss you."

"Miss you too, love."

"Alice?" Jasper's deep voice was in the phone so quickly I guessed he must have been as impatient as the girl that was sat next to me with her hand open expectantly.

"One second, Jasper." I handed the phone to Alice and recognized the blissful contentment that filled her features as she listened to his voice. I tried not to listen to their conversation. Instead, I turned to Demetri who was appraising me with a bemused smile.

"It seems your talent is more extraordinary than we first anticipated."

"Why do you think that is? Why can he still hear all the thoughts running through the minds of those I protect?"

"It seems that your barrier creates a connection of the minds within it. Almost as though being in the confines of your mind creates a network to those who share it."

"What about the distance?"

"Well, I'm assuming that that is irrelevant, as long as you have your protection covering them."

"But how does the barrier stay up over such a long distance?" I knew that I should have the answers considering it was my mind and my talent, but it simply didn't make sense to me.

"How do you protect them?"

"I visualize them, and concentrate on wrapping the bubble around them."

"Bubble?"

"That's how I visualize it." I grinned.

Demetri returned my smile before continuing. "I'm sure that's how it's managed, you're not concentrating on the distance, you're concentrating on the person, the distance becomes irrelevant."

It still didn't make much sense to me, but when I thought about it, four years ago vampires were simply a myth. It seemed that there was no rhyme or reason for any of it, other than it just was. I doubted vampirism or gifts had an exact science to them.

"Edward says exactly." Alice laughed, pulling my attention away from my thoughts. Demetri's eyebrows raised and a small smile painted his lips.

"I was just thinking that it's not an exact science." I laughed, understanding just how frustrating it could be when there were silent conversations going on, I had, after all, been subjected to them since I met Edward and our family.

Alice finished her conversation with Jasper hesitantly, started the engine and began driving, she handed me the phone with a sigh and concentrated on dodging the trees, something I knew she didn't need to concentrate on at all.

"Cheer up, Alice. You said yourself it won't be long."

A look of complete concentration crossed Alice's face, it lasted only a second but she turned and smiled at me, slamming her foot on the gas propelling us faster down the incline. I was hoping that her sudden mood elevation meant it would be sooner rather than later.

It didn't take us long to get home with Alice's elevated speed, Demetri seemed to be just as much at ease as we were so I deduced it to the fact that, rather than just the Cullen's driving fast, it was vampires in general. After everything was said and done and things worked out the way I hoped they would, I would have to have take the Ferrari out for a drive, and for once, try the Cullen style.

Alice didn't slow the Jeep down as we curved our way around the drive, she seemed eager to get to the house, her determination wasn't as well hidden as she thought it was. When we reached the meadow, I realized why, there was a scene playing out that we certainly didn't want or need. A vampire, obviously sent here, was cornered on the porch guarded by two wolves. Alice had obviously noted the blank spot in the near future, I imagined she had been looking for the visitor.

"Dammit, we should have mentioned the wolves." Alice sighed.

I couldn't just let this happen and be as calm as Alice was about the situation. Without waiting for her to slow the car I hopped out of the door and ran towards the house. I recognized one of the wolves easily. The russet fur was ruffled and danced wildly in the breeze.

"Jacob, no, stop, he's with us." I shouted as I hopped up over the porch steps and slid to a stop in front of the stranger.

"Guard dogs . . . interesting." chuckled the voice behind me.

Jacob growled and his ears flattened against his skull, I turned to the man behind me.

"Friends, not guard dogs. How did you get here?" I asked hurriedly, talking over the low rumble of Jacob's growl.

"From the southwest, I made my way up the coast. Edward and Jasper sent me. You must be Bella."

I nodded but looked over to Alice who was appearing from the garage with Demetri. The wolves backed away a little to give them space.

"We need to call everyone and remind them to keep people from crossing through La Push." I said directly to Alice.

Alice nodded and continued into the house. Our guest was eyeing Demetri suspiciously. He looked nervous, and skeptical at our other companion. It was easy to see that the nomad recognized Demetri, we would have to explain sooner rather than later if we even hoped this vampire would help us.

"What's your name?" I asked trying to divert his attention.

"Garrett."

I smiled as warmly as I could at him. "We'll explain everything inside. If you want to go ahead, I need to talk to the wolves."

Garrett nodded and gave Demetri another look before disappearing inside. Demetri followed silently, bowing his head at me I gave him a small smile of acknowledgment before I turned again and looked at the two wolves. I recognized the other, it was Quil, I could tell by the chocolate brown fur that was stood high from his haunches.

"Sorry Jacob, I thought they'd explained. There will be . . ." Jacob shook his head and disappeared into the tree line, stopping me in mid sentence. Quil stood still, his eyes on me, they were gentle, not like they looked at most vampires, and I appreciated that.

"How are you Quil?"

The wolf bowed it's large head once and his fur began to settle on his back. He seemed strangely at ease with me and I considered that this was because he'd known me before my change. If only they could look at my family with the same objectivity. Jacob emerged from the trees in his human form, his feet and chest were bare and he wore a tattered pair of cut offs.

"Jake, I'm so sorry about that."

"Hey to you too, Bells." Jacob chuckled.

I smiled at my friend, he hadn't changed a bit, except for the fact that maybe he had grown a couple more inches and his shoulders had filled out a little.

"We were worried until we followed him here. Figured he must be part of the group Carlisle mentioned. Thought we would have a little fun though . . . _Guard Dogs?_"

"I have no idea where that came from," I apologized. "I guess they forgot to mention the wolf population when they sent him."

Jacob chuckled again and leaned against the railings of the porch.

"How have you been doing?" I asked lifting my hand to touch his hand and then letting it drop. Jacob saw the gesture and picked up my hand, flinching slightly from the temperature of my skin.

"Better, things are getting a little more normal on the rez. Emily was asking about you."

"How is she?"

"Hurting, but Leah spends a lot of time with her these days, Leah never really got over Sam."

"Seth?"

"He's okay,"

We hadn't seen Seth since before Denali and that concerned me, he was always welcome at the house and Edward often encouraged his presence, the two of them had become unlikely friends. Edward often told me how pure Seth's mind was, I just hoped this debacle wouldn't change that. Grief did strange things to people.

"I'll call the family and remind them to warn the visitors about La Push."

"No need." Alice said from the door smiling, "I called everyone. Edward already knew of course. Hi Jacob."

"Hi, Alice."

"Tell Seth to come and say hi, we haven't seen him in a while."

"Will do," Jacob said before turning his attention back to me. "We should go, I need to patrol the borders, it'll give the others a sense of security while all these vampires are around."

I nodded but smiled. "Be careful, Jacob. We'll try and keep them away from La Push as much as we can."

"What about hunting?"

"We'll send them out of state, maybe even up to Canada." Alice smiled.

A deep frown caused Jacob's brows to meet, I squeezed the hand I was holding gently, knowing what was causing it. They were supposed to be protecting people from the vampires, they branched that out to any human, not just their tribe. Conventional vampires were the reason they existed and now, they had to turn a blind eye while our guest hunted and did the very thing the wolves tried to prevent.

"I know it's against everything you work for, but we need them, Jacob."

Jacob nodded and let out a large sigh.

"I check in with you later, Bells."

"Okay."

Jacob took the hand he was holding and laid it against his cheek, I knew it was wrong to let him do it, but I didn't have the heart to pull my hand away from him, he had so much to deal with. I was worried if I pulled my hand away he would be hurt and feel rejected, I couldn't bare to do that to him after everything that had happened in the last couple of weeks. Yet I knew letting him harbor these emotions for me would just make everything so much more difficult.

"Bye, Quil." I said stepping slowly away from Jacob. I had to do something.

The big chocolate brown wolf dipped his head and whined quietly. Jacob released my hand and stepped away, I could see the hurt behind his big brown eyes, and though the guilt swam through me freely, I knew I had made the right decision for me, I just hated that Jacob hurt while I was so blissfully happy.

"Call me later?"

Jacob nodded and turned from me, he ran into the trees again, followed closely by Quil.

"I wish I could see his future." sighed Alice. ""I think he needs a silver lining."

I smiled at my sister, "Wouldn't that be nice. A happy ending for Jacob."

"There's still hope."

I nodded, I certainly hoped his happy ending would be there, because I was living mine. I just hated that I had been the one to cause him all this pain and I had no solution to remove that.

"Well, Garrett and Demetri didn't seem too comfortable in the others presence so I guess we should get in there."

"Have you told him anything yet?"

Alice laughed, "I just introduced him to Demetri,"

I shook my head and followed her inside, this should be an interesting couple of weeks, and we certainly had plenty on our plates to keep us busy. I hoped that this explanation would set the standard of those to come, and I hoped that they would listen. I guess I would soon find out.

"Garrett, this is my sister, and Edward's wife Bella." Alice sang as she moved to one of the couches. Both of the male vampires had stood on our entry, it seemed old habits died hard.

Garrett held out his hand and a warm smile filled his features. He was tall and dark haired with a kind face. His face showed his curiosity.

"Yes, we met briefly outside, I apologize if I created any problems with the dogs."

"No, they just wanted to remind us of the boundaries." I said smiling.

"Well, it's good to meet you, Bella."

"You too Garrett,"

I moved across the room and sat down next to Alice who looked unusually comfortable for the situation that surrounded us. I assumed things would go well.

"So, would you mind elaborating on the reason for my visit?" Garrett asked smiling.

"Certainly," Alice chimed, "Where to start . . . I guess we should start with Bella here."

Garrett smiled at me and Demetri stayed completely still. I fought the urge to roll my eyes, why did everything bad revolve around me, was it penance for my blissful happiness? i doubted it, but I couldn't help feeling a little responsible for the situation we were in now. Alice, who had spent so much time around humans, fidgeted out of habit.

"When Edward met Bella, she was mortal, her blood was unusually strong and called to him with such ferocity he almost couldn't abstain. Then he fell in love with her and found it easier to control his urges, but he discovered how dangerous our world was to her, and tried to leave her. Both suffered hugely for this and neither handled the separation . . . well."

Alice giggled and rose her eyebrows at me. I could feel the from pulling my skin taught across my forehead.

"It's true, you didn't." Alice said directly to me. "Anyway, there was a huge misunderstanding and Edward believed Bella to be dead. He left for Italy immediately."

"Suicide?" Garrett asked surprised.

"Yes, their bond was so strong that he couldn't possibly imagine existence without her." Demetri added.

Garrett looked to me, I bit my bottom lip before shrugging my shoulders, I couldn't explain it either, it had been that way for both of us since we realized how much we truly loved one another.

"Of course, Bella wasn't dead, and I asked her to help me save Edward from his path of self destruction. It would be extremely dangerous for her, but she agreed, the thought of life without Edward was simply too much for her to bear, so we took off for Italy. We made it in time to stop Edward, but the Volturi were waiting for us in the shadows."

Garrett's eyes moved towards Demetri who was making no movements in his chair.

"Bella, even as a human, had a gift. Edward couldn't hear her thoughts at all. it was very unusual, but after reading Edward's mind the anomaly made Aro curious, so we were taken to him. He couldn't read Bella's mind and he even had one of his guards, Jane, attempt to use her power on Bella. She felt nothing and I could see that Aro considered the uses of her gift. I should mention, that he also discovered that Edward and I had talents and he saw the benefits of having us join his organization along with Bella."

"How did you escape, I have heard stories of how Aro would annihilate covens to get what he wanted." Garrett said shocked, his eyes immediately found Demetri again as he mentioned Aro. I could see that it would take some convincing for Garrett to truly trust Demetri, he was, after all, a Volturi guard, one that had been with them for a while and had always been on the front line.

"We promised to change Bella, something that would have happened regardless, but it helped us with our release. Once Bella had been changed though, he set his plan in motion. He wanted us to join his guard and he would do anything to get that."

"So where does _he_ come in to all of this?" Garrett asked, jabbing his thumb in Demetri's direction.

"Aro sent some of the guard to confuse the Cullen's. When his plan fell through, they made up an excuse, they kidnapped Bella's father and killed one of the wolves to provoke them. They say they assumed Bella's father knew of our existence, but they knew, through the minds of Edward and Alice, that Bella's father knew nothing. They told our secret to Mr. Swan so that releasing him would be impossible." Demetri's voice was low and even as he spoke.

"Without a trade of some kind at least." Alice added.

Garrett eyes widened as we slowly got to our point.

"Demetri told Edward to use their pride against them, to insult them until they released us so we could make our decision." I said smiling at Demetri.

"Why though?"

Demetri went into Aro and Marcus' history again and described the betrayal with just as much detail as he had given us. The story of Didyme was hard for me to listen to because it scared me. If Aro was capable of murdering his own biological sister to get what he wanted, what lengths would he go to to win against us? By the time Demetri was finished, Garrett looked completely stunned, it was obvious that this history was not well known in the vampire world.

"So why would you need me?"

"We need a diversion so that neither Marcus nor Demetri is suspected. It needs to give the appearance of Demetri being overthrown."

"That's convenient."

Alice and I looked to Demetri to answer that question, I had no doubt Alice had seen what would happen, but the two of us were curious as to how he would answer.

"It's the only way they will let Marcus approach without them. Aro knows where my loyalties lie and if he suspects I have deflected, he will suspect Marcus, it will not give Bella enough time to protect all those who stand with us."

Garrett looked at me with a cocked eyebrow.

"Like Alice said when I was human, I was able to block those powers that manipulated the mind, as a vampire, I can project that." I said sheepishly.

"So Aro will let Marcus come to speak with your captors?"

"That's what we hope for. Alice will hopefully see that when the time comes. We can develop our plans around that." Demetri replied sitting forward. "Once Marcus is out of physical reach, Bella will protect our allies and we will attack from within the ranks."

"Mutiny?"

"Yes, many of the guard who have been with the Volturi from the beginning are loyal to Marcus, they see the dictatorship Aro and Caius have created, it was not the establishment they once honored with their lives. After Chelsea was brought into the ranks and was able to manipulate bonds between master and guard, there was no need to establish the bonds that they had in the beginning, it's all based on manipulation."

"So those who were already established were not subjected to the talents of this, Chelsea?"

Demetri nodded in admission.

"Will we be required to fight?"

"We hope not, the deflecting guard is plentiful, and without the mental attacks of Aro's most powerful allies we should have the upper hand easily, the younger guard was not trained in combat as we had been."

Garrett sat back in his chair and considered the offer. I knew that he was considering whether he should trust Demetri and Marcus, it was the same thought that had run through our minds a thousand times. Yet, we knew that this would never stop, even if Aro was able to obtain what he wanted from us, he would continue doing exactly what he was doing to us until he was, invincible.

"I have to admit, the long and heavy arm of the Volturi has been oppressing our kind for a while, making laws that suit them and manipulation the one that stands. What guarantee do we have that Marcus will be anymore of a justifiable leader than the three of them together?"

"All Marcus wants is to live in peace, he will enforce the one law we have justifiably, I have placed all of my trust in him, and have done so for many centuries. He is the only reason the Cullen's were able to leave Volterra of their own free will."

Alice and I nodded in agreement, it was Marcus' knowledge of his brothers that had given us the upper hand, and although Alice's gift was subjective to decisions, she believed that this was the right thing, and up until now, Alice had been right. This was also our hope for having a future outside of Volterra, a future with our chosen family.

Garrett nodded thoughtfully, "I will stay, and I will stand with you. That's all I can promise for now. I need to know that I can trust you, Demetri, I'm sure you understand."

"Of course, Garrett, that's all we ask of you."

And so it started . . .

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**A/N: Hi guys, sorry it's a day late, things are a little crazy right now, my sister has come over to visit from England with her family and we have been shopping like . . . like Alice!! My feet hurt! LOL Anyways, I haven't had too much time to catch up but I am trying to keep on top of it. I am on Vacation next week also so I will try and get some chapters down. :0)**

**Thank you for all of the Alerts and Faves, and THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE AWESOME REVIEWERS, YOU GUYS KICK ASS, SERIOUSLY YOU ROCK!!**

**I HEART YOU GUYS - BIG HUGZ - L -**


	25. Chapter 25

_**All things Twilight belong to the Fanstastically Fantastic Stephenie Meyer.**_

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**Chapter 26 - Recrudesce**

The arrival of Tanya and her family went much the same as that of Garrett's, all with a couple of exceptions. The first was no wolves, the second was that I hadn't known that Eleazar had, at one time, been a guard in the Volturi, so his greeting with Demetri had surprised me. They greeted one another like old friends. My surprise must have shown as I watched the scene play out. It was Carmen who answered my questioning gaze.

"Eleazar was a Volturi guard, he left just after he met me. Marcus had excused him from his service." she said, her accent was light as she spoke.

"Aro was unhappy at the loss," Demetri said wistfully.

Eleazar laughed and they continued their conversation of reminiscing.

It was only when Eleazar asked the reason for Demetri's presence did we get down to the task at hand, the Denali coven was certainly more receptive to Demetri, which made the task all the easier, that was until we reached the part of Soren's treachery. Both Irina and Tanya were wide eyed as we described exactly what had transpired in Volterra. The deception, the way that Aro had used Tanya and her family as distractions, manipulating us all to get what he wanted. What he would always want.

I immediately apologized to the two of them, they were receptive to my apologies and were more understanding than I could have ever hoped. Tanya was practically graceful in her acceptance, she seemed to understand the misconception, and after the discovery, was more than willing to help in our endeavor. The fact that Aro had used her and her coven to get an advantage on us upset her immensely. We were family and she didn't like being used as a tool against her own family.

Garrett sat with us, answering as many questions as he could, and listened as we added slightly more detail for our extended family. He seemed drawn to Kate, who sat, giving us her full attention. Every time her and Garrett spoke, Alice would smile mischievously. That was never a good sign.

The next week or so was spent going through the same routine, vampires would show up and we would once again go through the story, some seemed dubious of Demetri's involvement, others seemed to almost expect it. Even so, all of them let us finish before agreeing. We were getting quite a house full. It seemed all of the vampires that were being sent to us agreed it was encouraging to listen to the justify joining us to themselves and anyone else in earshot. Demetri was making them nervous, it was almost as though they expected him to turn on us.

I trusted him, I just hoped that I was right.

There were covens from around the globe filling the white house on the river. The first to arrive were Charlotte and Peter. They seemed nervous about their involvement. Edward and Jasper had sent others home to us, including the amazons that they had been convinced would not leave the rain forest willingly, the coven consisted of Zafrina, Kachiri and Senna. Each of the three female vampires were large in stature and their alabaster skin had the hint of their original olive tanned skin.

There had also been more nomads that they had run across. The most maladroit arrival had been Maria and her small, but powerful coven, Alice, Peter and Charlotte had stayed away from her as much as they could. Alice had been nervous about her arrival, it was easy to understand. It seemed maria had agreed because Jasper had asked her. Alice had overheard her speaking to her companions about him in Spanish. A language Alice had conquered decades ago.

Rosalie and Emmett had been in Asia and the Middle East, there was a small coven from Russia Alexi, Adam and Elena that mostly stayed to themselves they were probably the strangest of the vampires sent to us, the low dulcet tones would travel through the house as the spoke in their native tongue. Alice, having spent a lot of her free time studying other languages, translated for me and anyone else who seemed to be interested.

Rosalie and Emmett also sent a small coven from Egypt, that consisted of Amun, Kebi, Benjamin and Tia. Benjamin had perhaps the most interesting talent. Then there was an Asian coven that had lived in the mountains of Japan for most of their existence. The women dressed like geisha's and the male was in casual but outdated clothes. One of the females had the ability to move things with her mind, according to Alice's translations, she had been able to move things in a smaller scale as a human. They had been hiding in the mountains because of her talent, they were sure that, if Aro discovered the unusual talent her would obliterate Katsumi and Daiki to gain Akemi. Akemi insisted they stay out of the public eye to keep her family safe. Katsumi and Daiki were a couple, but they had joined Akemi before she had even discovered her gift.

There were also two Australian males, Brad and Todd, that looked not much older than me, in human and vampire terms. They were sandy blond and looked as though they had spent entirely too much time surfing. They were friendly enough, it reminded me of the summers I used to spend in California with Charlie.

Carlisle and Esme had also sent a generous amount of vampires to the house, There was the Irish coven. A large, beautiful woman Siobhan and her mate, Liam and with them was the newest member of their cover Maggie, who had an affinity for detecting lies, this came in useful when she was questioning Demetri. A couple french nomads Francois and Vanessa, a Spaniard, Calixto and there was a couple from Africa, they were Swahili his name was Imamu and hers, Marjani.

Alice was amazed at some of the decisions that were coming to her, she had been surprised at some of the things she was seeing, but with so many vampires in the house it was difficult for her to hold on to just one. As soon as a vision came it was replaced by another mid way through, she tried her hardest to block them as they assaulted her third eye. There were just too many vampires close to her know, their decisions were all strong. She was also constantly in private conversations with Aro. I wasn't sure what they were doing, but I could see the concentration and frustration of Alice's face as she tried to get past the vampires that surrounded her. It looked as though Demetri was helping her, so I stayed away, hoping it was the right thing to do.

Alice couldn't have been happier when Seth came to visit and blocked her sight for a couple of hours. The wolf gave her complete silence in her own mind, she would sit silently, her head on my shoulder, and Seth on her other side, complete relief on her small features. Alice and I spent a lot of time in the meadow in the front of the house, trying as much as we could to escape the growing crowd inside. It wasn't as though we were adverse to any of them, we just preferred the fresh air to the constantly growing claustrophobia inside.

It was twilight one evening, and Seth had come to sit with us at the request of Alice, she was getting more and more visions as our house guests made decisions. We were sat talking about small things, Seth was sat on one side of her and I was on the other, we avoided the heavier subjects because we didn't want to be reminded of the danger we were walking into. It was because of Seth's presence we didn't see them coming. We were discussing the pros and cons of being a wolf and a vampire, Seth was trying to convince us he had the better end of the stick, Alice wasn't convinced.

It wasn't until I heard the light footfalls that I realized there was someone approaching, I looked up, and there he was, stood in all his handsome glory, his bronze hair blowing gently in the wind, I couldn't stop myself as I vaulted to me feet and ran, as fast as I could, into his arms. I launched myself at him, my legs wrapping tightly around his waist as we made contact. He stumbled but never lost his balance, his deep chuckle filled me with joy, it was a sound I had missed since he had been gone. I planted butterfly kisses over every inch of his face.

"I missed you so much." I squealed happily.

"I missed you too, love." He nuzzled his face in my neck as he reacquainted himself with my scent, it was pure heaven having him this close.

It had been the longest separation for us since returning from Volterra the first time around. Edward placed me gently on my feet as the squeals of exultation filled the meadow around us. We looked over in time to see Jasper laughing warmly at his wife. It was evident we had all suffered during our partners absence and it was all seemingly for nothing, Aro had never called to check on us, and there was never any word from Demetri's allies. We had simply been receiving our visitors.

"Alice didn't see us coming?" Edward asked as he watched her and Jasper's reunion.

"My fault." Seth voiced, grinning as he approached us.

"Are you kidding, you've been so helpful." Alice cooed from Jasper's arms. "You help calm down the plethora of decisions swirling around in my mind."

Jasper laughed again and cupped Alice's face in his hand lovingly. He looked completely content now that he had her in his arms.

"Well, I guess I should take off. Leah's getting nervous having all of these vampire's around."

"Thank you, Seth."

"No problem, Alice. Just call me if you need a break. Bye guys."

"Bye, Seth." I called, never taking my eyes off of Edward. I could hear his lithe footsteps as he made his way into the forest, but I couldn't tear my attention away from the man stood in front of me.

"I know the feeling, Bella." Edward said kissing my forehead gently, I was glad he could hear my thoughts at this moment, because he knew just how happy I was to see him. "Perhaps you should introduce Jasper and I to the rest of our guests."

I nodded at his request and wrapped my arms around his waist, he looped one arm around my waist and started walking, guiding me forward.

"Rose and Emmett should be back soon." Alice sang happily, leading Jasper towards the house. "And Carlisle and Esme should be back just after them, they have Alistair with them."

Edward groaned quietly beside me, I wasn't sure if it was loud enough for Alice or Jasper to hear, if they did, they made no indication. I looked to Edward, my eyebrows raised, asking a silent question, understanding what I wanted, he shook his head, and I accepted that it would be a conversation for later.

I stood at Edward's side still clinging to him as he was introduced to the swarm of guests we had gathered. We stood side by side, arms entangled around one another as we spoke to the vampires that now resided with us in the house. Edward was cordial as he spoke with each of them, but I knew that he felt as I did. We wanted to be alone, to spend time with one another before things became to serious. The deadline was quickly approaching and I still had a request of my husband, I needed to be able to defend myself.

As soon as Aro realized that I was the one protecting the mutinous guards, he would send his strongest minions towards me. He knew my talent now, he knew that I could protect anyone from his strongest offense, I would be the first target and I needed to be able to protect myself. I knew my family would protect me, but I also knew that they themselves would become targets. All of us had planned this, we had helped one of their own to destroy them, if they gathered the upper hand, they would not let us live, no matter how much they wanted our talents. I had to learn to protect myself, I was no longer Lois Lane and I wanted the opportunity, if it came down to it, to defend myself.

Edward's eyes widened as he listened to my thoughts. "No."

"But . . ."

"No, Bella." Edward looked at Garrett apologetically. "Would you excuse us?"

"Sure."

Edward took my hand and went in search of a quiet corner, unfortunately, with as many vampires as we had inhabiting the house, there were none. He continued to the back door and pulled me outside. He stopped by the tree line and turned to face me, concern filling his golden eyes.

"Bella, why do you want to fight?"

"I don't _want _to fight, Edward. It just seems that I will be the focus of attack. Aro will know I am protecting you all. Taking me out will ensure his victory, you have to see that."

"Of course I see that, Bella. It's all I think about, but I will be there to protect you. I don't want you in the midst of all this. I want you somewhere safe."

"What if they go after you too? Don't you dare say that Alice, or Emmett, or Jasper will be there, you know that they'll be targets just as much as you and I will be."

"Bella . . ."

"Edward, please. Even if I don't need it, don't you think it will be prudent for me to at least learn the basics so I can defend myself?"

Edward's silence told me that I had made my point and that as much as he disliked the idea, he had to agree with it.

"If you really want to do this, I implore you to ask Emmett, or Jasper, even Alice, to help you out. I refuse to see you that vulnerable."

"If that's what it takes."

Edward pulled me into his chest and kissed my forehead lightly. I understood what he was saying, and it honestly made me love him more, if that's at all possible, all of the time we had spent together when I was human seemed to have taken it's toll on him. He would forever see me as that fragile girl that could be broken. The girl that had been hunted on more than one occasion. That wasn't who I was anymore.

"You're still the same person, Bella. Sweet, loving, trusting, young. You're just stronger now."

I laughed lightly at the remark, I loved protective Edward, it was all I had ever known.

"You make me sound neurotic." he said with a slight groan.

I laughed even harder.

"Bella." I could hear the smile in his voice as he reprimanded me.

"I'm sorry." I looked into his eyes as I tried to bite back my grin.

His hands cupped my cheeks and he held my gaze. "I just love you too much to risk losing you that way."

The admission sobered me from my brief fit, his eyes were captivating me as he implored me to understand. I couldn't resist him, I never could and I never would. I rolled onto my toes and leaned in towards him closing my eyes. His lips touched mine sending a surge throughout my being, I had missed this, the closeness, the intimacy, the love. He deepened our kiss and his tongue brushed along my bottom lip, looking for permission to enter, I obliged.

"Bella? Edward?" Alice's voice interrupted our moment pulling us back into reality. Her voice was full of excitement. Edward growled quietly under his breath as he pulled away from me.

"Yes, Alice?"

"Rosalie and Emmett will be here soon."

"Okay, we'll be there in just one second."

Alice laughed and disappeared through the door. As helpful as her gift was, sometimes it could be a downright annoyance. Her laugh had let me know that she was all too aware of what would have transpired had she not interrupted. The hunger Edward and I had for one another could never, in my eyes, be satiated, and I never wanted it to be.

"We should go, she'll only come back if we ignore her." Edward laughed, tugging on my hand. I nodded, knowing he was right, and followed him into the house. We would have to continue where we left off a little later.

As Alice had predicted, Rosalie and Emmett had turned up within minutes of her calling us, and then, not four hours later, Carlisle and Esme followed, with them, was a tall and rather nervous looking vampire.

Alistair was jumpy to say the least, I could tell he was here as a favor, rather than volunteering. His eyes darted around the room constantly and Demetri was always a regular stop for him. Carlisle had given him the room in the attic because of his paranoia. He didn't leave the space very often, and when he did, it was under duress.

With the family back, I was finally able to feel a little more normal. To my surprise, Rosalie had been the first to offer her services in teaching me defense tactics. I wasn't sure if this was out of kindness, or whether it was the opportunity to fight me. We had, on some level, become friends, but there was still the underlying resentment from her that I had chosen this life, no matter how it had happened.

Our first practice was in the yard behind the house, Rosalie had been springing attack upon attack at me until I was able to practically read her movements. Edward had stopped watching after the first fight, his overwhelming need to protect me had caused him to jump in front of Rosalie before she could make contact. So now he stayed away.

"Don't you think you're becoming a little predictable, Rose?" Emmett asked, after I had once again dodged an oncoming attack from Rosalie.

Rosalie said nothing, but she glared in his direction with a glacial expression.

"You've been training her for twelve hours, babe. Just a thought."

"I'd like to see you do better." Rosalie snapped, her hands planted firmly on her waist. "The girl's a quick study."

Emmett's booming laughter washed over us as it made it's way towards the trees. He jumped up from his seat and headed towards us, obviously excited about the proposition. His large frame looked all the more intimidating now that I was about to wrestle with him.

"Emmett."

"I just want to test your theory."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, nodded at me, and headed towards the seat that Emmett had been occupying.

"You ready?" Emmett asked, his large body gracefully falling into a crouch.

"Eh,"

Emmett laughed and backed away a little. "I won't hurt you," he winked, "a lot."

"Concentrate, Bella. He's trying to distract you." Rosalie called, her arms folded across her chest and a bemused smile gracing her lips.

"Rose." Emmett grumbled looking towards her.

I took my chance and leapt at him, I threw my shoulder into his gut as I propelled myself forwards. The shock on Emmett's face was worth anything he would dish out when he got back to his feet. Rosalie's musical laugh had obviously proven her right.

Emmett huffed as he got back to his feet, a playful, deep growl was being pushed through his broad smile. His eyes locked on to me as he once again fell into a crouch.

"That proves nothing, Rosalie. You were distracting me."

"That was the first thing I taught her."

Emmett shrugged his shoulders and made a move towards me, his left foot sprang forwards as his right moved to the left. He was baiting me, expecting me to react so he could catch me off guard. I didn't move. Emmett's eyebrows arched high on his forehead, but a larger grin spread across his face until his bright teeth were showing.

"I like a challenge."

I smiled back at him and let my body slide into a crouch, my muscles tightened in anticipation as I watched him move slowly. His feet were moving in several directions as he arranged himself, his muscles flickered in his arms as he shifted his weight to the right . . . then he sprang.

His feet were still giving no indication of his direction and I moved forwards, zig zagging just as he was. His exulted laugh hit me just before he did. His full mass made contact with me as his hands grasped the top of my arms. He pushed me down into the ground. Any air that had been in my lungs pushed out as we landed, but it didn't make any difference, I couldn't be winded. I could feel the earth beneath me molding into the shape of my body as his legs pinned mine down, his mouth came to just half an inch from the skin on my neck as our movements slowed.

Emmett laughed as he clambered off of me. "Again?"

I nodded and jumped up from the ground, backing away from him. His eyes followed my every move as I circled him slowly, I could feel the excitement growing inside of me as I planned my attack. Rosalie had barely touched on this topic, we had mostly worked on defensive tactics.

I let each of my senses lock on the large vampire, and my body moved with pure instincts. My body propelled forward but my eyes never left Emmett, he watched me intently as I came towards him. His body was poised for his movements but my legs sped up without a command. I leapt just as he moved, but I had anticipated this, I crashed into his side with a large resounding crash, Emmett never lost his balance, but before he could react my mouth was inches from his neck.

"Again," his deep voice was no longer filled with the joviality it had been, everything was now centered around his concentration and frustration at his loss.

"Enough for today." Edward's voice startled me from my focus, that was when the brick wall hit me.

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**A/N: I'm Ba-Ack, so sorry I was away so long, it was only I think 2 weeks but it belt like months ago I uploaded last. I missed writing and I missed you guys, but I hadn't seen my older sister, brother-in-law or nephews in almost fours years and I wanted to spend as much time as I could with them. :) They left yesterday and I miss them already.**

**Ok-Kay, sorry bout that. Hope you have all had a good couple of weeks, hopefully, fingers crossed, things should get back on track now. I hope this chapter was alright, I feel a little bit rusty.**

**Thanks for all the Alerts and Faves, I think this story has beaten all the other stories in both, and thank you TO THE REVIEWERS, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME, THANK YOU FOR THE HAVE FUNS, AND KIND WORDS YOU GUYS ARE STELLAR, AND YOU HAVE GIVEN MY THE MOST REVIEWS I'VE HAD ON ANY STORY, AND I ADORE YOU FOR IT, YOU ROCK!!**

**-BIG HUGZ GUYS - I HEART Y'ALL -L-**


	26. Chapter 26

_**All things Twilight belong to the fabulously fabulous Stephenie Meyer.**_

* * *

**Chapter 27 - Gambit**

Edward was still reeling from the tackle Emmett had thrown at me while I was preoccupied. I had simply laughed it off, but Edward had charged towards us, his eyes confused with his double emotion, concern and anger. Emmett had hit me from the side and driven me into the ground. The wet earth below us had trembled in the blow. Emmett was laughing with his usual booming cachinnatory, he didn't see Edward inches from colliding with him.

The two of them had landed on the ground next to me, sending another quiver through the ground. I immediately split them up, if the attack was for my benefit it was unnecessary. Rosalie had verbalized it better than I ever could have. the words she spat at her brother seemed unusual coming from someone so beautiful. It had stunned us all to the point of laughter, and the feud was forgotten.

Edward, however, was still concerned about my welfare.

"Edward, really, he didn't hurt me." I stated as we entered our bedroom together. We left the door open because there simply was no privacy in this house at the moment.

"That's not the point, Bella."

"I did the same to him. Rosalie distracted him and I took him down."

Edward's scowl softened as he turned to face me. I knew that it really wasn't about the hit I had just taken, it was his reaction to seeing it happen. He saw the vulnerability in me, and it scared him.

"You know, if you hadn't of distracted me, I probably would have taken him down again." I grinned.

Edward shook his head and chuckled. I couldn't possibly understand how frustrating this was to him, he had always been so strong in my eyes.

"That's not true, I believe you insisted I stay with you when Victoria's army was headed for us."

"Actually, if you think about it, that was probably more women's intuition, Victoria did end up finding me."

Edward laughed at the justification, and leant forward kissing my forehead. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled myself to him.

"You know, it would be so much more fun if you were teaching me."

"Bella,"

"I know, I know." I pouted.

"Just promise me you'll ask Jasper next time."

Before I could answer our bedroom door swung open. Alice stood looking frantic, her eyes were wide with concern and her mouth was drawn into a tight line. "That next time had better be soon."

Edward's arms tightened around me and I knew that our time was almost up. Aro and the rest of the Volturi would be heading towards us, as far as I knew, they could be halfway here. I watched Edward as Alice replayed the vision for him, his eyes were tight, his jaw set. I waited until his jaw relaxed before asking any questions.

"What is it?" I asked.

"The Volturi have brought all of the guards, every last one of them." Alice mumbled quietly.

"Even the wives?" Garrett asked. I hadn't heard him arrive. His voice caused me to jump a little. I was so absorbed in what was going on in my small little world, I 'd heard nothing. I needed to spread out my concentration a little. If I consistently concentrated on something too long it could mean disaster for evryone else. I had to pay more attention.

"Even the wives." Edward confirmed, his calm exterior told me he'd heard Garrett approaching.

"That's new."

with my new vigilance in tact, I could hear more foot steps approaching the room, but I wasn't too concerned with that, the footsteps were familiar almost. I was more concerned with the fact that the Volturi were coming, and they were bringing our purgatory with them.

"Very new, and it makes it all the more threatening. Aro knows that."

"No, this wasn't Aro." Demetri said from the door. his eyes were directed towards Edward.

"Marcus?" Edward asked after assessing the thoughts in Demetri's mind. "But, why?"

Demetri rose his eyebrows as though it was obvious, and when I thought about it, it was.

"They will avenge the death's of Aro and Caius if they're left alive." I whispered.

Demetri nodded, confirming my supposition. If they were going to do this, they were going to do this right. The thought scared me, but the thought of killing the innocent females had me shying away.

"They're not as innocent as you may think, Bella." Edward said, his eyes still on Demetri.

"Why?"

"They are just as much a part of the decision making as Aro and Caius, they just chose to stay silent in front of an audience. Sulpicia is Aro's driving force, Marcus can see their bond, and he knows how strongly they are bound. She has an evil mind and just as much thirst for domination as Aro himself." Demetri stated.

"How much time?" Edward asked Alice.

"A week at most, they've already started their organization. Aro tried staying away, but Demetri suggested I also watch Sulpicia, she would be making the decisions for him."

"How? you've never met her."

"Demetri and I have spoken about her excessively, it's helped me build a connection with her mind."

Edward's eyebrows rose as he appraised his sister. I was sure this meant that this was a new development. One that would be most helpful to us in the future, should something like this arise again.

"I've also been watching Marcus' decisions. It's his only form of communication with Demetri."

"Has Aro contacted you?" Edward asked Demetri.

"No, not in any depth. I checked in regularly as he requested, but cut all forms of communication once your family returned. I'm sure he is suspicious of my silence which is more than likely the reason he is making his move."

"We should get a meeting organized with the assembled vampires so they know their parts. I also want Bella to start integrating them into the protective barrier, it takes a lot of her strength adding new minds."

Demetri nodded in agreement. He turned and strode from the room, leaving Edward, Alice, Garrett and I staring after him. I could see that Garrett was still a little skeptical of his involvement. I couldn't blame him, Demetri was _our_ lifeline, not Garrett's or any of the others, they was here as a favor to us. Although if Demetri did betray us, it would kill us all, we would be responsible for this slaughter.

"I'm going to let Kate and the others know what's going on." Garrett said before following Demetri from the room. Alice grinned after him briefly before returning her gaze to us.

"Bella, you were right in your assumptions, Aro will come after you, they have already discussed their strategy. They don't _want_ to hurt you, but they will if it depends on their survival. I think you should stay to the back of the group."

"No," my spine straightened with my defiance. "I stand with my family, if it becomes necessary I will back away, but until then, we stand together."

Alice assessed my decision before nodding I hoped that meant I would be safe. I knew she would never leave me in harms way, but she also knew just how strong my stubborn streak was.

"We have so much to do, we should get cracking." Alice said spinning on her heel and heading towards the door. "Oh, and Bella, I wouldn't worry too much about learning how to fight. You and Edward get super blurry, and I have a good idea why."

With that, she disappeared. The wolves were planning to protect me, that much was obvious, but also I knew that they had seen the other vampires that had murdered Sam. I knew that they would need that opportunity to finalize their vindication. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of that. I would keep my training up as long as I could, just because I was blurry, it didn't mean that there was no penetration of their defenses.

Edward's frown and silence told me that he agreed with me. Though I knew he would never say it aloud, it would be admitting that there was a strong chance we would have to fight, and an even stronger chance that _I_ would have to fight. Something i knew he didn't want to think about. Edward picked up my hand and headed towards the door solemnly, I could hear all of the vampires being called to order downstairs . . . this would be interesting.

When we arrived in the dining room, the family had taken up their usual seats, but Edward and I were left standing and lining the walls with the rest of the vampires circling the table. All of our guests looked skeptical about what was coming, they were here for various reasons and we knew that some where here simply as a favor, others for personal vendetta's against the Volturi. No matter what the reason, their silence now was poignant. Carlisle and Demetri stood from their seats at the head of the table. Silence fell upon the room.

"I would like to thank you all for coming." Carlisle started, his eyes wandering around the group. "I know that this is a lot to ask, but we're hoping that violence on our parts will not be necessary. Those of you who know me are aware that I would never ask this of you, it's only our desperation that has me going against my better judgment. As Bella, Alice and Demetri have already explained, the Volturi have threatened my family because we possess something they want. If I am being completely honest, most of have noticed their tyrannical rule as they have conquered over the centuries and yet we have turned a blind eye to it, believing in some way it will never effect us."

There was a light murmur moving around the large group as they too admitted that they had ignored the every growing dictatorship. I was amazed at the guilt some of them wore, it was their job to defend covens, if they had attempted this without the mutiny of Marcus, Demetri and their men, they would have been obliterated. whereas I understood their guilt, I believed it was unnecessary.

"I know many of you have, like us, abided by the rules of their leadership, and have believed the propaganda they consistently feed us. I would never have involved myself with them intentionally, but I would like to believe if any of you had called on us to ask what we are asking of you, I would have agreed."

Edward's arm tightened around me, and I looked up at him briefly. His eyes were on our father at the head of the table.

"Bella, the newest member of our family still has living relatives, relatives that knew nothing of our existence, and would have never known about it had it not been for the Volturi. They deliberately told her father and murdered a good friend of ours to provoke us, they kidnapped Bella's father and took him to Volterra so we would follow. They told him what they were and then threw their rules in our faces, yet they were the ones who had broken them."

"They gave us a choice, join them, or murder Bella's father. They would not accept responsibility for their actions, and with the help of Demetri, were able to escape they confines of Volterra. They gave us a month, it has only been two weeks and once again they have broken their word, they will be here in a week."

"I know that we have been vague or our plans until now, but we needed to make sure that you all understood, we needed to know that we could trust you, we have been betrayed before and that was not something we wished to be repeated."

"Is it true that some of the guard will be turning mutinous?" asked a tall vampire at the back of the room.

"Yes, not just some of the guard, but Marcus himself. There was a revelation that shifted the tenuous bond he had with Aro and Caius. He is not as power hunger as the rest of the Volturi, he just wants order." Demetri explained.

"What do you need us to do?" asked Daiki, his strong accent making his words annunciated.

"You will not need to fight, I have confidence, that with Bella's ability it will not be necessary. You may, however, feel the need to protect yourselves, you will be targets because of your allegiance with us. Marcus and those who have joined him, will deflect as many attacks as we can, but there may be some who slip through the cracks. We are convinced that those who will break through, will go after Bella."

There was a low chatter that filled the room, to my surprise it was Tanya who spoke. "What are you doing to protect her?"

"I will be by her side the entire time, and the wolves have taken it upon themselves to act as her bodyguards." Edward answered, squeezing me lightly.

"She's also been taking some self defense classes." Emmett chuckled, winking at me.

Edward growled quietly.

"They can't touch me with their abilities, so it's only the physical attacks." I explained to those who looked confused.

"We have a little less than a week to be as prepared as we can be. This could be dangerous, so I understand if any of you would like to leave." Carlisle finished.

"I have but one question, Carlisle." Amun asked, pulling his wife tighter to his side.

"Go ahead, old friend."

"What if this goes wrong? What will happen to us if Marcus and his men lose?"

"We won't lose," Alice said confidently, "I've seen it. The only thing I'm unsure about is Bella, and that's only because she'll be protected by the wolves."

"Aren't your visions subjected to decisions?" Alistair asked in a monotonous voice.

"Yes, but they won't have time to make a collective decision, we have the element of surprise, they never have and never will suspect mutiny amongst their ranks."

"Where will this take place?" asked Garrett, he was stood next to Kate.

"It will have to be here, if we meet them somewhere they will know we've had help." Carlisle answered.

"Of course you have help, you have Alice."

"Aro is being smart, he's been in Alice's mind and has seen how her gift works, he's made no decisions personally. If he realizes we've started watching Sulpicia, he will know immediately that Demetri has betrayed him. He know Alice will be watching him, that is why he gave Sulpicia the power to make decisions." Carlisle voiced.

"So we really shouldn't know that they are heading in this direction, we should be waiting for Aro or Caius to make the decision to come." Edward finished.

"We have discussed this, Carlisle. All of us are willing to stand with you. They used us against you and this is not something that we appreciate. No matter what the outcome is, we will be by your side." Tanya said confidently.

"I too, shall stand with you and your family." Garrett said squeezing Kate's shoulder gently.

Each of the vampires pledged their allegiance to us, some were more hesitant than others, but I could see that each of them were tired of living in fear. Even if they had not been threatened, if they had not been subjected to the unjustified hand of the Volturi, they saw our situation. We had done nothing wrong, nothing to provoke them, we abided by the rules. We, possibly more than the others, were even more inconspicuous because of our diets. Yet we had been targeted because we held something they wanted, they saw us as a tool for domination.

"What should we do until they arrive?" Garrett asked, his hand still on Kate's shoulder.

"We need to build this location to our advantage, we need to find a way to block the South and West routes. The river will need to be inaccessible somehow. We need to pull all of our resources together so we can filter them through to this location like a funnel." Carlisle's finger touched his temple as he thought about our options.

"What about the wolves?" Jasper asked. My head jerked in his direction. "I'm not saying leave them out there, but if they run the perimeter before the Volturi get here, perhaps it will deter them from passing through. They're bound to look for a hole in their defenses."

"It might work," Demetri said thoughtfully. "Caius has a deep fear of the children of the moon. He will immediately associate your friends with them."

"Children of the moon?" I asked, feeling ignorant.

"They're more . . . traditional werewolves. The ones the legends are based on. They are men and women that transform only during the full moon, if they bite you, they will infect you."

"So what are Jacob and his friends?"

"Wolves," Demetri answered, his tone creating the blank feeling that filled the answer. "Each of us should also try and feed, we need all the strength we can get."

All of the vampires nodded in agreement, it seemed as though this was the final word in the meeting, some stood around taking a while, but most dispersed slowly. it took only ten minutes until it was only our family, Tanya's, Garrett and Demetri.

"We should talk to the wolves and let them know what's going on." Edward said quietly, rubbing my arm. "Bella, would you mind calling Jacob? If you could invite him over, it would make it easier to explain."

I nodded, kissed his cheek gently and left the room to retrieve my cell phone. I could still hear them talking when I reached our bedroom where I had left my phone. Edward was concerned because Alice couldn't see my future. The wolves, in such large numbers would be blocking me from her vision. We all knew that, but Edward hated not knowing I would be safe. It was the one major flaw in the entire plan. I was invisible, it was a good and bad thing and my family and new friends had no idea what to do about it.

I let myself fall onto the bed as I dialed Jacob's number, I was tired of analyzing this over and over in my head. I hummed to myself as I listened to the phone ring. I wasn't even sure if he would be home, but it was the only number I had for him.

"Hello?" Billy's gruff voice replaced the ringing in the receiver.

"Hey Billy, it's Bella. Is Jacob around?"

"Sure, Bella."

Billy's hand covered the mic but I could still hear him shouting for Jacob as clearly as he would have if he was stood next to me. I could hear Jacob's heavy foot steps as he approached.

"Hello?" Jacob's deep voice filled the receiver.

"Hey, Jake."

"Hey, Bells. What's going on?"

"Alice saw something . . ." I paused dramatically. "They're coming. We need to go over some things with you, we're letting them come to us and I know Carlisle wanted to talk with you about how to get them cornered. We don't have much time, they'll be here in less than a week. I know it's really short notice, but could you come over today?"

"Sure. Is everyone back?"

"Yeah, I think we got all the people we could." I said knowing how uncomfortable it would be for him with this many vampires hanging around.

"Okay, let me organize some patrols and we'll be right over."

"Thanks, Jake."

"Sure, Sure." He chuckled.

I snapped the phone shut and lay back on the bed, trying, as I hard as I could, to block out any noise coming from the dining room. I didn't want to hear them discussing my safety, I didn't want to put any of them in more danger than they already were. If I could just protect myself . . . I knew I couldn't just yet, I still had so much to learn, I just needed to learn tactics, I would have asked Jake had it not been for all of the mortal enemy crap I had been listening to for the last couple of years. I just knew I had to do _something_ to ease the worry of my safety.

Even if I never used the skills I learnt, it would make this a little easier knowing I could defend myself if it became a necessity. I would have to ask Jasper and Emmett for help. I didn't mind that I had been floored by Emmett this morning, it was actually kind of fun fighting him, knowing that my size was an advantage because I was able to dart around him and escape him, at least I should when I wasn't gaping at my husband like an entranced, love sick puppy.

I decided I would use the expertise available to me, and slid off the bed. We were running out of time and I needed to learn all I could before it ran out completely. I knew Edward had already heard my decision. He had heard every decision I had made over the last couple of months.

I still hadn't relinquished the shield I held over my family, and I was beginning to integrate more of the visitors everyday. It was easier that way, adding one by one it wasn't so draining and it gave me a chance to acclimatize to the expansion.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs Emmett and Jasper were waiting for me and I knew this was courtesy of Edward. He had saved me the trouble of asking them myself. Emmett was wearing his signature grin, whereas Jasper wore a look that expressed hesitance as well as concentration. I imagined he was trying to decipher my emotions.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road." Emmett said, smacking his hand together and rubbing them.

I bit my bottom lip lightly, looked at Jasper and nodded, it seemed he needed more encouragement than Emmett did. Emmett led the way out of the house, I followed and Jasper was behind me, he seemed to be fighting an internal battle, and I was sure I knew why. he was afraid I was doing this for all the reasons and that I would get myself hurt. maybe I was, maybe I wasn't, but it couldn't hurt to learn a few things.

"Are you sure about this, Bella? You're nervous." Jasper asked quietly.

I let out a small laugh before answering him. Hoping to relieve some of the tension. "I'm sure, I think it would be crazy of me not to be nervous. You have seen how intimidating the two of you are, right?"

Jasper laughed at my admission and patted me on the arm gently. "I see your point, especially with being so young to this life."

I grinned and let my eyes travel back to Emmett, he was stood in the middle of the field flexing his muscles. I shook my head and picked up my pace. Jasper kept his speed even with mine.

"Alright Emmett, seeing as you gave her a crash course, in the literal sense, earlier this morning. I think I should start this round, if we make enough progress perhaps we can teach her the finer points of a multiple attack."

"Multiple?"

"It could happen, the Volturi know their strengths and weaknesses, Aro will consider sending his guards in two's to attack you."

I took a deep breath and nodded, the facts were beginning to scare me. I hadn't thought that far ahead, I hadn't looked for the things Aro would or wouldn't do to me, other than the fact that I would be a target because of my gift. I now felt the benefits of having a brother who would look at this in the same terms as the Volturi, he would cover anything I hadn't considered. I watched him as he moved into his position.

"Okay, Bella, take up your stance. Watch everything I do."

I let my body slink into a crouch low to the ground and focused my mind on Jasper. His eyes narrowed as he readied himself for the attack. If I'd had better vision as a human I would have been prepared, but those nights in the field before the newborns tried to attack us, my eyes were weak, it was dark, and I hated watching them training to defend themselves from a situation I had placed them in.

As it was I hadn't seen the ferocity of Jasper, he was lethal looking as he crouched and moved, his amber eyes never left me as he prowled to the right. I watched every movement his body made. Looking for some indication of what direction he would spring in and when he would make his move.

He gave away nothing as he stalked me, His muscles were perfectly still as he watched me, his sudden movement caught me off guard. His body was in the air before I saw a muscle bunch up, I had to shake off the shock of the stealthy attack quickly, he was faster than Emmett and hurtled through the air like a cannonball.

I did the only thing I could do and dropped to the ground, I rolled and followed him with my eyes as he sailed over me with mere inches to spare. I leapt up on to all fours and sprang at him before he had even landed, but he was upright as I came closer, I changed directions but he followed me mid stride. I was over thinking it all. I tried to look at him as my prey and let my body work in it's own primeval method.

Jasper's eyes widened as I made contact, he wrestled me away from him before I could get my teeth close to him, but I had gotten close enough. I imagine with as many bites as he had incurred, he was apt at deferring bites better than most.

I backed away furtively, never taking my eyes from my brother. I could see a small smile dancing playfully on his lips. I didn't want to distract myself enough to ask him why, I just let my body take control. Jasper nodded once, never taking his eyes from me. He was signaling Emmett to join in. Was I ready for that?

I could hear Emmett's movements behind me and I closed my eyes. I could hear Jasper's slight figure as he launched forwards, I could hear Emmett's large feet hitting the ground lightly behind me. There were at almost precise distances from me I was directly central to their attacks.

I could think of only one thing to do, and I had no idea whether it would work, math was never my strong point in school, and I had seconds alone to figure the moment of arrival, and calculate the extended arms into the equation. I could hear the pounding of their feet as the approached quickly, closer, closer, closer.

Then there was a third set of feet, and a ragged heartbeat, someone else was here and they were approaching a lot quicker than Jasper and Emmett. My eyes fluttered open and I saw the large Russet beast launch into the air. I cringed and waited for contact. What the hell was Jacob doing?

* * *

**A/N: Sorry Brick Wall Emmett Cullen ;D . . . Okay so in the words of muse 'Time is Running Out' The Volturi are on their way. Things are getting exciting, I am trying to get the chapters ahead like I had been doing but to be honest, I am barely half a chapter ahead at the moment, but everything is still planned out in the head. **

**Wasn't the new Twilight trailer awesome, I cannot wait.**

**Thank you for the alerts and faves . . . and of course THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS, WHO RULE AND REALLY ARE THE MOST AWESOME PEOPLE ABOUT . . . YOU GUYS ROCK!!**

**-BIG HUGZ - HEART Y'ALL - L -**


	27. Chapter 27

_**All things Twilight belong to the Fantastically Fantastic Stephenie Meyer.**_

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**Chapter 28 - Enraptured**

Jacob hit me with brute strength, but there was a protective feel to the action. I rolled to the ground as he pushed me out of the central impact zone. I slid to a stop and he stood over me, his lips pulled back over his teeth, they were vibrating from the snarling growl escaping his lips.

Jasper and Emmett stopped mid stride and held their hands up in surrender. I lay stunned looking up at the underbelly of the large animal. Wondering how the hell I had gotten there so fast. i knew I had to diffuse the situation, as angry as he was, Jacob probably didn't recognize the people he was snarling at.

"Calm down Jacob. We're just practicing. They're not going to hurt me." I said trying to sit up and slide out from under him.

I was sat up when Jacob's head swung around, his eyes met mine trying to read what it was I was doing. I grinned at him, the eyes that still belonged to my friend lit up and relaxed. It was nice to know that we were friends enough for him to still feel protective over me. I just hoped that he didn't get the wrong idea. He had to know how much I loved Edward and how dedicated I was to him alone.

Edward was beside me in a second as the thought passed through my head, he reached out his hand helping me up from the ground. There was a breath taking smile covering his features, and he slapped Jacob's shoulder lightly. "I already tried, Jacob. She won't listen."

"Hey!" I said, realizing easily that they were referring to me. "You know, it's not always a bad idea to have a contingency plan."

Jacob visibly rolled his eyes and shook his head. He looked at the forest and then back to us expectantly.

"We'll wait." Edward said wrapping his arm around my waist and laughing at his two brothers. Who were hanging back, making sure that the wolf was calm enough to approach. Jacob disappeared into the trees with a wolfy snicker.

"Is he phasing in there?" Jasper asked walking towards us, his eyes on the trees that Jacob had disappeared into.

"Yeah, he also apologizes for jumping in like that. He thought it was you two, but he wasn't sure, he saw Bella standing helpless with her eyes closed and thought she needed help."

"Good point, what was that?" Emmett said, ruffling my hair.

"I couldn't keep my eyes on both of you so I listened. I had a plan."

"It would have worked." Alice laughed, "That was until a wolf decided to jump in the middle and then it all disappeared."

I'd heard Alice approaching, she was quieter than most but I knew the sounds of her movements. I just wasn't sure how long she'd been there, hiding in the shadows. She danced lithely into Jasper's arms, her face was glowing, her eyes were full of guilt and excitement.

"You too?"

"Jasper wanted you to be prepared for anything." she grinned.

I laughed at the protruding lips she was using to plead her case.

"I never heard a thing."

Alice beamed, and looked towards the trees again where a now human and clothed Jacob appeared.

"Okay, sorry about that." Jacob said, not really sounding as sorry as he should. "Old habits die hard."

Edward chuckled. I was sure he saw something in Jacob's mind that would have embarrassed me. I had consistently been the weak link in that friendship. When it came to saving me, Edward and Jacob were usually on the same side. I had to give it to Jacob though, he was trying.

"Should we get Carlisle?" I asked heading slowly away from the small group. Edward caught my hand and pulled me into his side.

"No, he's on his way. He heard the commotion."

I nodded and grinned. I guess we had caused quite a scene, I hated to imagine what our guests had thought when they saw a giant wolf propelling itself at me.

Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie were the only ones to come from the house. Demetri tried to stay away from the wolves as much as possible, he was neither afraid of them, or harbored any ill will against them. It was simply courteous. The one time they had been in the same vicinity, things had become awkward. I was sure Jacob appreciated the gesture. Even if he never would say it out loud. Edward chuckled lightly beside me.

"Jacob, thank you for coming so quickly." Carlisle said, hand outstretched.

Jacob nodded and took Carlisle's hand, I could tell by the look in his eyes he would be unable to keep his animosity towards my family up when he spoke to Carlisle, after all, it had been Carlisle that had healed him when he was injured during the fighting with the newborns. It was also painfully obvious how gentle his nature really was. He was the only vampire that had ever healed, rather than take lives. If it was his choice, he would never lift a finger in anger.

"So, what's the plan?"

"We were hoping that before the Volturi arrived, you and some of the pack could run the perimeter and funnel them in through the path we choose. They will be coming here, to the house."

"I think we can manage that." Jacob grinned, looking around the surrounding tree's. it was obviuos he was running through the plans in his mind. "Where do you want us to be when they arrive?"

"That, I think, is up to you." Carlisle said thoughtfully. "You know your strengths and weakness' just as much as we know ours. You are a capable leader, Jacob. You know what needs to happen."

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what are your plans?"

"I think that the element of surprise is needed, so the vampires that have agreed to help us will stay out of sight until it is determined that we have held Demetri against his will, such defiance will provoke them and they will attempt to take action, we're hoping they won't anticipate our subterfuge. I am, however, sure they will expect your presence, especially with your scent surrounding the house."

Jacob nodded in agreement. "I'll have to speak to the others before I make a decision, but I would anticipate us being in plain sight. From what you've said, they will realize Bella is protecting you and she will be the first marked target. We will be able to protect her closer to your group. We'll also be able to pick out the others that attack Sam."

Carlisle nodded in agreement. "Yes. They will expect us to protect Bella at all costs, they know as well as we do that she is the only reason we are able to do this. Without her, they would easily crush us . . ." Carlisle turned thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "Thank you for doing this Jacob. This isn't your battle to fight and we appreciate that your are willing to join us."

Jacob chuckled slightly. "Carlisle, this is as much our fight as it is yours. They came after Sam knowing they would have a fight on their hands, we're ready and willing. We're also obliged to protect our land, and the people living on it. These are the worst of your kind, if we don't take care of them now, they'll come back."

Jacob was right, if any of the Volturi, other than Marcus, was left standing, they would seek revenge, and they wouldn't stop until every last one of us had been murdered for our betrayal. I couldn't live with that and I knew that Jacob wouldn't leave his people helpless. As much as I hated to admit it, they _would_ have to be there.

It seemed so unfair, so many people were risking themselves to protect me and my family. A family who wouldn't be in this predicament if I hadn't have dragged them into it.

Jacob scanned the field around us quickly before reaching for the hair he had shaved once again.

"I'm going to head back to the Rez, and talk with the pack. I'll get back to you as soon as we've made a decision."

Carlisle nodded and shook Jacob's hand. Jacob looked at me thoughtfully. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked around our family and the trees again.

"She won't like that." Edward said quietly.

"I won't like what?"

"I was wondering how you would feel about staying out of all of this, staying hidden." Jacob admitted, before Edward could explain.

"No!"

"Bella . . ."

"Jacob, I've said this to Edward, and I will say it to you. I am as much a part of this as the rest of you. I am learning to take care of myself should something go wrong. I will be protected, and I will be protecting you. You have to believe that I won't take unnecessary risks, I know that if I do, I put all of you in danger instantly."

"You're still so damn stubborn."

I grinned.

"Okay," he said hesitantly, looking around the field again as though he was unsure of something. "I'll call you later."

With that Jacob, smiled, turned, and ran gracefully into the forest. I raised my eyebrows and looked at Edward, he had, for once, understood what I had wanted. He grinned at my mental admission and pulled me to him.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I know that you'll do what needs to be done, and I know you're right." he whispered under his breath.

I raised my eyebrows at him. he sighed lightly.

"Okay, and I'll have you in my full view, that way I know you'll be out of trouble."

I slapped his arm playfully and headed towards the house, knowing he would catch up.

**- - o - -**

I spent as much of my free time as I could practicing my defensive skills. Emmett and Jasper were patient teachers, they had set up as many scenarios as they could, and I hoped it was enough. Alice, who had become a frequent observer, felt the need to compliment me on my progress. I would smile and grin, but I knew I could do better and would get frustrated with myself when I missed an opportunity, or if I was attacked and taken down with my siblings teeth to my neck.

Edward, still refusing to watch or participate would listen to my complaints patiently. I knew he could help me perfect my skills, he had access to my head and would challenge me in ways the others couldn't. Alice had been helpful in that respect and would occasionally hop into the mock fights with an enthusiasm that matched Emmett's. She would see my moves before I would make them, she was quite terrifying when she wanted to be, but it still wasn't the best I could do. I pushed myself until I couldn't concentrate anymore, when the others gave up, I tried to accommodate as many as I could into my bubble of protection.

I constantly kept myself going, I knew how little time I had to prepare, and I wanted to make sure that i had done everything in my power to prepare for what was coming. I refused to go down without defending myself.

As the time raced towards the arrival of the Volturi, I began feeling guilty about keeping everyone so occupied. Rosalie and Alice were spending more time practicing with me just so they could spend time with their husbands. There was only a day and a half until the Volturi arrived and I was keeping everyone away from spending time with the ones they loved.

I had now included all of the new comers into the defensive shield and I could feel their energy growing as the countdown became more prevalent. I tried to push it farther, covering all the wolves, so I would know whether the band of Marcus' guard could be covered by me. when it came time, I would only have to protect Jacob. Edward had pointed out the wolves silence when I used Jacob as a guinea pig, Seth had been stood beside Edward waiting curiously, to be included in the experiment. I had prepared as much as I could with the time I had, I knew I had to walk away with what I had and hope it was enough.

I decided this would be the last practice. I had the need to be with Edward just as badly as they had the need to be with their mates. I had been neglecting him, how ever unintentional it was, it was still the obvious truth.

I stood in the middle of the field, knowing that there were four vampires stalking me. I was trying not to make decisions because I knew Alice would catch them. So I closed my eyes and listened, it had become my most successful defense, just listening to the sounds around me. I could hear anything approaching, as long as I could keep my mind from wandering to Edward.

I was trying to find a way to make my neglect up to him, I just had to get through this final attack and I would be free to spend as much time as I needed with him. I just needed to concentrate for a while longer.

I could hear no footsteps as I stood still in the middle of the field, I didn't know what they were doing, but I was sure that I would hear them when they made their move. I listened past my breathing, past the rustle of the leaves in the breeze. I heard the porch squeak gently under the weight of someone. I zoned in to that sound, someone would be making a move from that position, I still kept listening for some other signs of movement but there were none.

I stopped breathing to block out the sound. Whoever had been on the porch had made their move during my brief distraction. Someone was moving quickly through the grass now, the sound was slight and faint, barely audible. I almost missed it and would have if I'd have continued to breathe. The sound was new yet so familiar to me. I concentrated on the sound, the rhythmic pounding was almost hypnotizing.

I fought the urge to breath. It didn't matter who is was, it was more prudent to concentrate on where they were coming from. The loss of my sense of smell was throwing my mind into a whirlwind of paranoid thoughts. I continued to stand completely still listening. Whoever it was, they were rapidly growing closer and their speed was almost disorientating. My mind processed things so quickly, yet the way these feet hit the ground, it was almost too much to concentrate on.

I tensed myself, waiting for the moment the assailant would be close enough to attack, it took another pounding of the feet to realize they were almost upon me. I took in a deep breath and turned reaching out for the arm of the attacker as my eyes fluttered open, but they were gone . . . The footsteps had disappeared along with the rustling of the grass, the gentle pounding. It had stopped, ceased to exist.

I took in a deep breath, trying to find the scent of the person who had rushed at me. I tried going around the usual smells of the field and reached out towards the one that had eluded me. A smile spread widely across my face as I realized he must have heard my thoughts. His familiar scent hit me as his arms entangled around my waist, I fought the instinct to defend myself and was rewarded with his lips on my neck.

"You almost had me, but I heard your thoughts." he chuckled against my skin. "You think too much."

"I thought you didn't want to do this?" I whispered.

"I don't," he sighed, "I heard your thoughts about spending time alone with me, so I thought I would kidnap you. If I remember correctly, I have your permission to do so at any time."

My smile broadened at the reminder of that conversation. His hands left my waist and ran down the length of my arms to my hands. He spun me around until I was facing him. His eyes were bright as he appraised my reaction. All I could do was smile at him.

"What did you have in mind?"

Edward laughed joyfully and pulled me after him as he took off running. I followed willingly, scanning the field quickly before we left it completely. Everyone had gone their own way.

I knew where we were going as soon as we changed direction, as feeble as my human mind was, I could never forget the first time speeding through the trees on Edward's back. the smell of the trees and branches as the passed by at an alarming rate. I would also never forget the path we traveled, the one we were on now. I could feel myself pushing forwards to get there sooner. It had been a long time since we'd been to our meadow, and it seemed more than appropriate to go there now. I needed to be alone with him, time was filtering away so quickly.

Edward pushed forward a little harder as he read my thoughts. He wanted this just as much as I did, he wanted me to himself, and I was more than willing to oblige him. We broke through the curtain of trees into our small personal haven. I sighed deeply as I tried to contain the goofy smile that threatened to break through. Everything was still as perfect and untouched as it always had been, as I always hoped it would be.

"Let it." Edward chuckled as he swept me into his arms. He kissed the corners of my mouth as if he were willing them to turn into the smile I had been trying to hide.

I did as I was told and let the smile break over my lips like a crashing wave. I could never be more content than when I was in Edward's arms. He made me feel complete, he was my reason for fighting to survive. His eyes met mine as he lay me on the grass that felt like a breath beneath me. The damp grass was comfortable but I didn't have time to think too much about it because Edward stole my attention with a breath stealing kiss. It was filled with more passion and love, but there was an urgency underlining the purity of it. I pulled away gently and looked into his deep pools of molten gold.

"Edward, we're going to make it through this." I insisted, I wanted to brush the strands of hair from his forehead, but I was sure that wouldn't help get the message across. Edward dropped his head into the curve of my neck and let his lips glide over the skin. It left a trail of fire in it's wake, creating waves of pleasure that pulled me out of my thoughts. He was distracting me.

"Yes," he admitted, his hands running through my hair, twirling the strands around his fingers. It was working.

I let my hands glide over his shoulders and down his back, he was laying beside me on his stomach, one of his elbows propping him up.

"Why?" I whispered. "Don't you believe that?"

"I want to, and to some extent I do. I just want _you_ to understand how dangerous all of this is."

"I know how much danger we're in Edward. I think about it every moment of every day. You of all people should know that. I just refuse to give up, I refuse to see this as the end of us. You've waited longer than I have, but I refuse to let go of you so soon."

Edward smiled at me as his free hand brushed strands of hair the wind had blown into my face away.

"You are so beautiful, Bella."

My hands moved back up his strong shoulders and I stroked his face with feather light touches, he had no idea how breathtaking he really was, he outshone me in so many ways, I still found it hard to believe he was mine, and I was his. I would take a lifetime of bad luck if it meant I could have him forever.

Edward kissed the tip of my nose and smiled, the hand that wasn't propping him up, moved from my hair and ran down the side of my body brushing my breast as it passed. I gulped in air as the desire for him filled me, I could feel my body trembling in anticipation, I could feel him harden against me.

I had promised myself that I had filled my quota of outside frolics, but this was so perfect, so right, it was our place, our meadow, and we belonged to one another. I gently popped the buttons on his shirt and let my hands roam over his pure, soft skin.

Edward's breath was released in a sigh, as my fingers traveled over his taught skin, the sound made the heat within me rise to dangerous proportions. I closed my eyes and let the feel of his breath dance across my skin moving my hair in gentle complex patterns. Every muscle in his body tightened as he pushed closer towards me.

With no warning his lips crashed down upon mine, it was what I had been yearning for without knowing it and my body reacted as though it had a mind of it's own, My spine arched towards him needing the feel of him against me, my hands roamed towards the nape of his neck, where the softer strands of his bronze hair ran through my fingers like pure silk, my legs wrapped around his pulling him closer to me.

I had missed this, and had been so preoccupied I hadn't realized it, every inch of my body ached as his tongue traced my lips. With a slow intake of air I opened my mouth for him and let our tongues dance together in perfect unison. His hand pulled my face closer to his, like me, he didn't want the distance between us, he didn't want that small gap of air showing us how cold it could be without the other.

I could feel his hardness dancing across my thigh as he ground his hips into me, my body, already tortured with the pure passion that coursed through it, arched closer to him, needing more, needing him.

I let my hands wander down from his neck, to the sides of his body. His body reacted by trembling under the gentle trail of my fingers. He moaned into my mouth and my muscles bunched together coiling like a tightly wound spring. He was pleasuring me with the least amount of action required, he was showing me his pleasure and it stirred the emotions I never wanted to let go of. I wanted to hear that sound for the rest of my life, knowing I was the one creating it.

I let my hand continue down to where his jeans rested perfectly on his hips. My fingers traced the line the denim created, and I was pleased at the reaction. Edward deepened the kiss and pushed against me with more force than he ever had, there was a hunger in him as he pushed himself against me, a raw animalistic need as he ground himself into me. My fingers danced to the buttons that restricted him, that kept his excitement in place, kept his excitement from me, and popped it open gently with the flick of my wrist.

Edward broke our kiss panting, not from loss of air, but from the passion we'd created between us. My chest heaved and I let my eyes flicker open, his eyes captured mine, locking me to him with the pure depth of his soulful pools of molten gold. He searched my eyes for something, I wasn't sure what he was looking for but I nodded once and his lips once again crashed upon mine sending an enraptured crescendo rolling down my spine.

I let my hands continue, pushing the zipper down with minimal force, until I could feel the soft cotton of his underwear against my wrist, the head of his throbbing manhood brushing against my palm. Edward dipped his hips, pushing himself into my hand further, my fingers closed around him as I worked with my legs to remove his jeans, I pumped gently looking for a rhythm that would satisfy him. Edward's lips fell from mine to my shoulder as he grunted with a euphoric breath. I sped up my momentum, always conscious of his moans, always conscious of the strength with which I was gripping him. My hand pumped and my thumb brushed over the head of his throbbing member, Edward gasped, the air felt hot against my neck as the vibrations of his trembles flowed through me.

Edward hands roamed across my body as though they were looking for something, anything. His breaths were quick spurts mingled in with moans as I kept my pace. His hands traveled down my arms and up my stomach, looked for an exposed part of me. His hands found their mark, and my head fell back, he kneaded my breasts gently as he moaned my name against the fabric.

I was finding it harder to concentrate, but I carried on letting my mind spilt itself as I enjoyed his touch and enjoyed touching him. Edward's hands moved to the button's on my shirt and fumbled with them in his distraction, I bit my bottom lip and quickened my pace as his fingers touched my bare skin. My stomach tightened with the growing pressure.

Edward hissed gently and pulled at the fabric sending the buttons flying through the empty meadow, I arched my body towards him as he pushed the dainty fabric of my lace bra aside and took my breast into his mouth. His tongue swirled around the nipple sending waves of pleasure to ripple through me. Concentrating was out of the question now, as his expert tongue danced around the delicate skin on my chest.

I moaned his name as my hand released him and tangled in his bronze locks, I could feel his hands working on my jeans and I did everything I could to help him. I lifted my hips as he rolled the fabric down my legs. His other hand moved to my back holding me against him as he sucked and blew against my nipple.The slight breeze on my already sensitive bud was creating another distraction altogether, the cool air against the warmth of his mouth was creating contrasting effects. I let my head drop back against my shoulders as his mouth started on the neglected breast.

The hand that had removed the jeans from my legs, slid gently up the inside of my right leg as he moved himself over me. I could feel his hardness against my stomach now, and all of my muscles clamped together with such an intensity it shook my body to the core. My teeth chattered as I tried to close my mouth suppressing the scream of pleasure that threatened to be released. I wanted him, I wanted him so badly it hurt, I ached for him.

His mouth left my breast and his warm topaz eyes were again drowning me in their depths. "Are you alright?" he whispered, his hand coming to rest against the inside of my thigh.

Words eluded me now, but I knew he wouldn't be satisfied unless I answered, I nodded and breathed the only words that I could allow myself to say in that moment.

"I want you." My voice was strangled with the desire and enraptured ecstacy that encased me, hoarse with the panting and ecstatic euphoria that threatened to spill over the very edges of my soul.

Edward's eyes lit up and a mischievous glint passed through his eyes, his lips wrapped around my lower lip sucking gently, he moved himself until he was between my legs. I could feel the head of his member rubbing gently along my heated core, he pushed it against me gently until I could feel him entering me, he pulled out again and let his lips roam towards my collar. I groaned with mingled anticipation and frustration, he was teasing me.

Edward's hand gently traveled to where he had just entered me and stroked the skin gently creating more excitement to build within me until I felt combustible. I rocked my hips forward hoping to find relief. Instead, the hand of Edward's that was supporting my back, lay me gently against the ground traveling around my body until it lay gently on my stomach tracing patterns on the skin.

"Edward," My voice was rougher than it had been, full of frustration and excitement, a moan was tangled with the words as he tortured me.

At that thought, and I was sure it was the word _torture_ that had swung it, the hand Edward had been stroking my core with, moved back towards my center. I whimpered looking for some kind of release from the unbearable throbbing tension taking over me. His thumb found my center as his fingers entered my core. The breath rushed from me as the feeling of him, any part of him, being inside me rose in waves, my body worked with him giving him the advantage of pushing deeper within me. The hand that had been tracing circles on my stomach ran over the curves of my chest, teasing the tender buds of skin that he had awoken.

I felt my body tense and throb as he hit his target, my body clamped around him holding him in place. I lay in the grass panting with heaving breaths my eyelids fell over my eyes as I tried to regain control.

As I lay breathing heavily and visualizing what I wanted, a satin drop landed on my chest. I was trying to relax my body, I opened my eyes and saw the dark sky above us, it was threatening, menacing as it rolled above us. The drops quickened, and fell like a gift from the sky above, cooling my heated soul, and leaving a thin, damp layer on my skin, a roll of thunder echoed in the sky. I sighed with the breeze that ran towards us.

Edward's body leant forward as I continued to relax, he was reaching for his shirt, but I lay my hand on his arm before he reached it, flashing what I wanted with my eyes. I wasn't sure what I had communicated, but whatever he saw, he knew what I wanted. The look he'd given me told me he wanted the same.

His mouth came down gently over mine as his chest rested against the dampness of mine, the feeling was immediately enough to create a warmth in me, building up the never ending coil of pure pleasure he built within me. His body moved with purpose now as he hovered above me.

The sky cracked with the sound of thunder, and Edward thrust into me. He filled me to the core and my body arched towards him. Every limb tingled as he adjusted himself, finding his rhythm. My body moved, perfectly synchronized with his. I ground into him and his hands locked around my hips keeping my momentum. His head fell back and his face was parallel with the sky above us, he moaned gently as he pumped against me. My entire body sparked against his as his picked up his speed, I could feel that tremendous pressure building again as he rocked against me.

The rain, a cold contradiction to the heat we were producing fell against as we moved as one. My body arched as a shudder ran down my spine, my legs tightened around Edward restricting his movements. I convulsed gently against him as he slowly rearranged us.

Edward rolled until he as sat in the grass, his legs between mine. I was now straddling him, we were face to face and my arms were around his neck, his were around my waist holding me to him tenderly. I let my head fall gently into his shoulder as I rock my hips against him. The gentle groaning sigh he released told me to continue, I rocked, steadily picking up the pace with each roll of my hips. Edward was panting on my neck, sucking on my ears, kissing me deeply as we moved as one.

The rain continued to fall.

Edward's grunts and moans became closer together the closer he came to the edge. When I could think coherently I was amazed I had kept the rhythm of our love making, he had hit the center of my soul and I was holding on to the edge with my fingertips.

Edward groaned loudly, still panting, "Let go, baby." he moaned and I felt him throbbing inside of me, I ground into him one last time before letting go.

This time the pleasure was an explosion within me, rocking every part of me, creating every part of my body to convulse as my muscles locked completely, tensed around him, my stomach released the pressure, as I felt as though I would rattle apart with pure bliss. I slumped into Edward, my head on his shoulder.

"I love you, Isabella Cullen."

I smiled at the name before answering.

" . . . and I love you Edward Cullen."

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**A/N: Okay, so I'm not sure that was my best work, and I apologize!!, I have created a story called outtakes where you will find the original, unedited chapter 28 (or Chapter 27 if you go by the chapters on the drop down menu :p). I changed it because it felt too, impersonal. So if you would like you can compare them and let me know what you think. There may be some terrible grammar attached to it as well as Typos galore. :(**

**Thank you for all the alerts and faves . . . and THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS, YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME, YOU HAVE NO IDEA. YOU ARE KEEPING ME GOING WITH THIS STORY, AND YOU INSPIRE ME. YOU TOTALLY ROCK!!**

**-BIG HUGZ - 3 - L -**


	28. Chapter 28

_**All things Twilight belong to the fabulously fabulous Stephenie Meyer.**_

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**Chapter 29 - Emissary**

Edward and I lay catching our breaths in one another's arms. The storm was escalating around us and the heavy, ominous clouds began releasing larger drops of rain. The drops hit our skin and danced off in patterns as they rebounded from us. It was nicer than I ever thought it could be.

Edward sighed and I could hear the frustration lacing the exaggerated breath.

"Is something wrong?" I asked feeling suddenly self conscious.

Edward rolled onto his side so he was facing me, his eyes were filled with sadness as they met mine. My chest tightened and threatened to break my unbeating heart into a thousand mismatched pieces. He stroked the side of my face gently as he collected his thoughts.

"It's Alice's vision, the one she had of the Volturi arriving. The sky was very similar to this one. I can see her visions still because of the protection you have us under, and it will be soon."

My stomach wretched at the thought of them already being where we should be, but Edward's calm exterior told me that I was worrying prematurely.

"We should go." his voice was low. Full of an emotion I couldn't put my finger on.

"Are you upset with me?" I whispered, holding his hand against my face.

His eyes immediately met mine, confusion etched into the specks of gold. He pulled me to him gently, cradling me in his arms.

"No, Bella. I'm sorry if I gave you that idea. I'm upset that we've run out of time, that we can't stay here longer. I'm upset that once again I've put you in danger."

"You haven't put me in danger, Edward. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I seem to consistently be placing you in danger, all of you."

Edward pushed himself up from the ground, the water ran down from his water darkened hair, down his alabaster face, taking it's time as it caressed his skin. He pulled me up until I was facing him. His sadness had given way to irritation. I watched as he tried to compose himself. I knew he didn't want to berate me for what he considered as my greatest misconception.

"Bella, before I met you, the worst trouble you had was walking on your own two feet. Then I bring you into this world, a world you would never have known about if I hadn't have pulled you into it. A world that always came after you no matter how much I distanced you from it. How can you blame yourself for this?"

"Danger magnet, remember?" I whispered, uttering the words I had said to him on more than one occasion.

Edward laughed at my averment and kissed me affectionately. I was glad to hear the sound, I was worried it would be a while before I heard the music of his laugh again. I let myself bask in the sound and let it replay as he quietened down. I let my memory replay the sound until Edward moved away from me, throwing my clothes at me as he separated them.

We dressed in silence, lingering so we could have just a little more time with one another. My shirt was now buttonless and I had to make it into a wrap around my body, hoping nobody would notice. Although, Alice would see it immediately. I was, however more concerned about the other vampires inhabiting our living space. Then it seemed stupid to worry about something so trivial. Would it matter what I was wearing when the obvious appearance of the Volturi was looming in the near future?

Instead of running, we walked towards the house hand in hand. Our conversation was minimal and we never brought up what was about to happen, these moments were too precious. It didn't seem to matter how much I wanted to believe that everything would work out, how optimistic I wanted to be, there was always that underlying doubt that nagged at me, chipped away at the hope I had clung to for these last few weeks. Yet I refused to let it drag me under, I wouldn't go out without fighting for what I had, it was to precious to let go of so easily. I had put so much faith in Demetri and Marcus, I hoped that it wasn't a mistake, I hoped they would do what they had promised.

"They will." Edward whispered pulling me to him, so he could wrap his arm around my waist. "Demetri wouldn't tell Alice to watch for Marcus' decisions if they were planning on deceiving us."

I nodded, not saying a word. We would find out sooner rather than later, but I believed him, I believed Demetri, and I believed in what we were fighting for.

The house was unusually quite when we approached it. The stormy sky looked all the more menacing because of the fading light, and the white house stood out in a stark contrast against it. The warm glow of the lights inside washed across the damp grass, creating dancing lights as the wind swayed across it. The silence emanating from the house was eerie, the loud cracks of thunder were the only sound bouncing around us.

"They're all out hunting." Edward said quietly, answering my my thoughts before I could voice them. "I think we should do the same, we need all the strength we can get. Alice and Jasper are waiting for us inside."

I quickened my pace.

Alice and Jasper were sat together in the living room when we entered, Jasper's arm was wrapped tightly around Alice as they waited for us. In that one moment I wasn't sure how to act, I didn't know what to say to my sister as she watched me expectantly. Alice was the first to break the silence with a large sigh.

"Bella, you really should look after you clothes a little better." A small grin washed across her small features. "Come on, let's get you something to wear before we leave."

I nodded and kissed Edward gently on the cheek before following Alice to the stairs. We made our way to the third floor in silence. Alice was never quiet for long so I knew there was something on her mind.

"Bella, I need you to do something for me." Alice whispered as she opened the door to the room I shared with Edward.

"Anything, Alice."

"Stay close to me, or Edward at all times. I really need you to start doing that now."

"Alice, what's going on?"

"Your future, I can't get a good grip on it because of the wolves involvement. It would just make me feel better if you were always in our line of sight."

I nodded, but my stomach wretched for the second time today. What was Alice so worried about? If she didn't see anything happening to me she would assume I was safe because of the wolves. What had changed?

"Sulpicia, knows of you and your talent, and has made a decision to target you first." Edward answered, entering the room.

I winced a little, I was hoping that this wasn't what had been bothering him in our meadow, it wouldn't have mattered other than the fact it meant he had lied to me. I tried to drop it knowing that an argument at this point in time was pointless, and senseless. even if he had of lied to me, it was for my own protection. it was always for my protection. I looked at Edward, his eyes were on me, but his head was bowed to the ground.

"Were we expecting that?" I asked ignoring the contradicting thoughts in my mind.

"Yes, but she's more suspicious of Demetri's silence than Aro. I'm worried she'll make her move before we're able to protect Marcus and the others."

"But I'm protected by my own mind."

Edward and Alice stood in silence. I put the two together and came up with my own answer.

"She would risk sending some of the guard after me before she knows what's going on?"

Alice looked at Edward and then back at me. Edward hissed quietly.

"WHAT?" I asked impatiently.

"She may send someone ahead."

"The others?"

"They know, I saw it while you were . . . out. Most have gone hunting, they won't be seen now. We should call Jacob."

Alice disappeared into the closet and reappeared with a shirt, she flung it at me quickly.

"Who are they sending?" Edward asked quietly as I changed my shirt.

Alice concentrated for a while, a delicately blank look passed over her eyes as she searched for a decision. She sighed in frustration when it was obvious she was getting nothing. Edward raised his eyebrows at her.

"Have you spoken to Demetri about this?"

"He's convinced Marcus will send one of his men."

Edward nodded and picked up my hand. The Volturi weren't far away but they were moving as one, that took some coordination. Just one of them running alone would get here quickly. Once again, time was shortening for us.

"Then we'd better get out and back before they decide." Edward muttered, pulling me from the room.

The forest was quiet as we raced towards the thicker trees that were situated half way up the closest mountain, it was just as quiet here as it had been at the house. I knew it was because of the storm that was still dropping torrential rain on us, but I couldn't stop looking over my shoulder waiting for the cracking branches and the rustling of leaves.

"Bella, Alice will see when they send someone." Edward's concerned voice filled the silence.

I was trying to keep my head empty so he wouldn't worry about how I really felt, yet he could still read every small iota of fear as it passed through me. I wore my emotions on my sleeve, I always had, and he was suffering because of it.

"Concentrate." he whispered.

I sucked in a large breath before releasing it in an exaggerated slow exhale. I let my eyes slide closed, and listened, I let the air slide into my body through my nose, reading the scents that traveled with it. There were a heard of deer huddled together from the storm about two miles to the west of where we were. The gently rustling of their movements reached our ears quickly. There was an occasional shake as they tried dislodging the rain from their waterlogged coats.

Alice looked at me and nodded. The two of us shot towards the scent knowing that as soon as the animals picked up our approach they would bolt. With as silent as the forest was, picking up the gentle sounds of our footfalls would be easy for the m to hear. We tried moving with the low rumbling of the thunder, hoping it would made us a little more inconspicuous to the animals.

I could hear Edward and Jasper behind us as we darted through the trees toward the smell of our sustenance. The only other sound was the heartbeats of the animals pattering slowly as they distributed their body heat to one another.

We reached the deer without them noticing us, Alice and I drank freely, darting around the heard before they could spread to far out from where we were, there was always someone close to me, by my side as i executed my kills. Edward and Jasper fed from the small animals, but I knew that they would prefer the blood of a carnivorous mammal. I watched as they fed from the smaller herbivores with a slight distaste.

"I'll be safe with Alice, Edward." I whispered as we searched for another group of animals to completely satiate our thirsts before the Volturi arrived. "If you and Jasper would prefer to hunt for something more satisfying, I would prefer you go now. You have your phone, if Alice see's anything, I promise I will call you."

"You wouldn't need to." He smiled tapping his temple.

I smiled and nodded, hoping this meant he would take me up on my offer.

"But I would rather keep you close to me."

I sighed. "Then I'll come with you. You need all the strength you can get."

Edward rolled his eyes and looked across to our siblings. Alice was smiling at us.

"We'll all go." she determined, picking up Jasper's hand. I knew she was doing this for Jasper, just as much as I was doing this for Edward. It would give them the strength they needed when it came time to defend ourselves.

Edward nodded, picked up my hand and began running the steep incline of the mountain, knowing that what he was seeking would be hiding closer to the summit. We didn't get very far, I should have known really.

Alice stopped mid stride, her body rigid as a vision swept over her quickly, Edward almost slid to a stop at the same time, still holding his hand I rebounded into his chest. His arms wrapped around me as his form was completely still, rigid almost. He was watching, through Alice's mind.

I looked to Alice. Her small form was wrapped in the arms of Jasper. Her body was rigid, her eyes, blank. I had never seen a vision hit her with such intensity, I could only imagine that it was because she had been waiting fervently for the decision, and now, it was coming to her.

Jasper and I waited in silence, occasionally exchanging concerned glances, the seconds ticked by like hours and I grew more anxious as the time trickled by. It couldn't have been more than a minute when her eyes began to focus again, the clarity bringing back the spark that was always there in her consciousness. Edward's grip tightened around me, and I knew this wasn't going to work in our favor.

"What?" I whispered. My eyes tracking between the two of them, hoping one of them would answer me.

"Caius made the decision, it's someone he trusts implicitly. We need to get the family and Demetri back to the house, and we only have eighteen minutes to do it."

Eighteen minutes, they were that close? I could feel the panic rise within me, I wasn't sure how far we were from the house, how far the others were. Demetri could be states away hunting, there was no way he could be back within such a small span of time. What about the ones he was with? If he was with anyone?

Edward pulled me tightly to his chest as the questions rolled around my frantic mind. I was hoping that having each of these people in the strange bubble of my minds barrier would give him and idea of where to find them.

"It does," he whispered into my hair. "Demetri isn't far, he's with the Denali coven, Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme are close enough to get back before we do."

I nodded, it was strange that demetri had chosen to hunt with Tanya and her family, they were, after all, vegetarians. I didn't have time to dwell on the thought though, Edward pulled me into a high speed sprint as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

We were the last to arrive at the big white house, and there wasn't much time to spare. It seemed the others had stayed close with the foresight that the Volturi would indeed send someone. I knew why we were all reconvening with the exception of the guests, we needed it to look as though we had done this alone, that we had been willing to sacrifice ourselves. That we were holding Demetri against his will. Aro had made no decisions, so he hadn't expected us to know that someone would be heading in our direction. Having Demetri as an ally was making it easier for us to watch everything, for that, I would be eternally thankful.

The scene in the house was casual disarray. Demetri was sat in a chair, Emmett and Rosalie were sat on either side of him. His face was blank and stony, there was no emotion to read as he stared blankly at the wall ahead of him.

The metal shutters along the glass wall had been closed and it cast an eerie darkness throughout the house. Carlisle and Esme sat with one another, waiting patiently for our return. It seemed as though this would be a pinnacle moment in what was about to happen.

Edward sat me on the couch next to Esme, who wrapped her arm gently around my shoulder. She and Carlisle were such gentle souls, and once again they were being thrown into the fray because of me. Edward shot me a glance as the words flowed through my mind. I shrugged once.

We sat silently not knowing what to expect, yet we tried to look as though we weren't expecting anything, it had to look as though we were deciding what to do, that we were clueless about the Volturi's advance. I could have pinpointed the moment that the guard came within earshot, Alice began her acting, her tone was conversational, she sounded relaxed and unworried, almost inconvenienced as she started her sentence as an answer to a unasked question.

"No, I don't think he's been in contact with them. I would have noticed him leaving to communicate with them." she said decidedly, sitting in Jasper's lap. There was no recognition on any face that this comment was out of place from our previous conversation. we all sat as though that's exactly what we had been doing for hours.

"Then what do we do? If we let him go now, he'll tell them everything we've talked about, every plan we had to disappear will be revealed to the Volturi. We've been over this a thousand times, Alice. As much as I hate to admit it, Emmett is right, he cannot be left alive. We have a week left until the Volturi come looking for us, are you willing to risk being found? You know his skills as well as I do." Edward answered, immediately falling into character.

"I can do it," Emmett laughed happily. "It will be quick, he'll feel little pain."

Edward's eyes found me, I had to react with the appropriate answers, I had to let my mind process the conversation as though it was real so I could answer appropriately.

"Isn't that unnecessary, couldn't we just take him with us and decide later? I know how dangerous he is but . . ."

"There are no but's, Bella." Rosalie cut in, a small amount of venom lacing her tone. "He's a Volturi guard, a loyal guard who would think nothing of betraying us to his masters. We're being used, Aro wants you and Alice alive. What do you think will happen to the rest of us?"

"Rosalie . . ." Edward warned.

"Bella has a point, if we keep him alive, we can use him as leverage. His talent is a great asset to Aro and the others." Carlisle said sitting forward. "He would never willingly let him die without trying to save him."

"HA!" Jasper's sarcastic attempt at laughter filled the room, it was louder than usual due to the metal wall blocking the windows. "You still think too highly of them Carlisle, they are not the same men you knew all those decades ago, they are power hungry fiends. They would think nothing of killing Demetri, he's just another pawn in this game to them."

"Does that mean we should be as brutal? Wouldn't that make us the same as them?" Esme added. "I would do anything to protect you all, _anything_. Yet I really don't see what killing this vampire would accomplish."

"Freedom . . ." Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Edward said together.

It was amazing how we all thought collectively without communication. We were coming up divided, four of us wanting to leave him unharmed, the others willing to kill him to be free. It would make us look weak, and that was something we could use to our advantage.

"We can still have freedom without murdering him," Alice whispered. "He is a tracker, the Volturi's best tracker. They couldn't find us if he was with us."

"They couldn't find us if he were dead either." Rosalie stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Esme sighed delicately before looking at Carlisle. Her amber eyes filled with sadness. "Do we really have to decide today?"

"No, but we have a week, we would need to leave before then, in fact, I would advise we leave soon, the decision for Demetri doesn't have to be made here."

"Oh yes it does," Rosalie snapped. "You think I want him with us as we travel. If anyone see's him with us, we're . . ."

"Rosalie," Esme warned seeing where Rosalie's statement was going.

"Sorry, but you know what I'm saying. I'm tired of having to watch him constantly, I know the rest of you feel the same."

A silence filled the room, it was almost believable as being contemplative, I hoped whatever we were doing would convince the spy of what we were doing. I knew that there were scents lingering that shouldn't, but I also hoped that he wouldn't pick up on that. Maybe he didn't know us well enough to place our scents with those outside of the house.

We all sat in silence waiting for the okay to be normal again, I didn't know if the spy was waiting for me to single myself from the group, I knew that they would have wanted him to take me out so they could get the upper hand on the group by using their brightest catalysts against the rest of my family.

If this was indeed the case, whoever it was would be waiting for a long time, they would be holding off on the inevitable, it would stop the rest of the vampires from returning, then inspiration hit me like a ton of bricks . . . Jacob.

The wolves would easily destroy the vampire that stood outside the house and there would be no reason other than he was a vampire on the wrong territory. If there was any connection between him and the Volturi, it would be seen as a coincidence, the wolves ran up on him while on our land. It wouldn't be the first time, Sam had, after all, followed Jane and Charlie onto Cullen land when he caught the scent.

Edward's eyes were wide as he listened to my reasoning. I directed my thoughts directly to him, knowing full well he could hear them.

'_It's perfect, an accidental death, they will continue to come whether he returns to them or not. I know that we could, and Emmett would happily, kill him, but if there is some way that they are watching him, they'll know we are expecting them, they'll change their tactics. If the wolves happen upon them, it's just an inconvenient coincidence._'

Edward nodded in agreement, he could see the logic behind the plan. Now, we just had to find a way to get a message to Jacob, without our guest finding out. Why hadn't we called him earlier like Alice had suggested.

Edward smiled and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. I frowned at him but moved my eyes to somewhere else. Wouldn't it be obvious if we called the wolves in point blank? Wouldn't the guard hide from them, expecting their appearance?

Edward winked at me as he fumbled with the buttons on the side of the phone.

"Bella," his voice filled the room as he placed the phone beside him. "Perhaps we should call Jacob, you really do need to say goodbye before we leave."

I caught on quickly. "He'll be upset, he thinks we have another week. I can't tell him things have changed so quickly."

"He has a right to know that things have been moved up to . . . now."

"Now?"

"Yes, now."

"I won't do it. I think it's better if we just go."

Edward nodded and hung up the phone silently. I was sure he heard Jacob's reply otherwise we would have hod to continue the charade on to make our point.

"If you don't want to call him, you don't have to, Bella. It was just an idea, I know how attached he is to you." he winked.

Edward concentrated on the thoughts outside the house as the room once again became enveloped in silence. I guessed the vampire must have been close enough to listen to us. Edward smiled at me. Jacob had to be on his way, and I was sure that the vampire had decided to stay at my mock refusal.

I looked around the room at my family, they all looked confused, they couldn't understand the outburst of conversation between Edward and I. Only Alice's features flickered with recognition after the decision flickered through her mind. I imagined she saw nothing. It was the wolves after all.

How long would it be until the entire Volturi followed this vampires arrival?

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**A/N: I know, I'm so sorry it took so long to update, I have been working sixteen hours days, I have a deadline again. It kinda snuck up on me which means I have been busier than normal. At least it's only been two days rather than a week and a half!!  
**

**Thank you so much for the alerts and faves . . . AND THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS, YOUR KIND WORDS, AS ALWAYS INSPIRE ME, AND YOU TRULY ARE THE GREATEST PEOPLE TO EVER GRACE THE FACE OF THIS PLANET :) . . . IN SHORT, YOU ROCK!!**

**BIG HUGS - 3 Y'ALL - L -**


	29. Chapter 29

_**All things Twilight belong to the phenomenally awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

_**

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**_**Chapter 30 - Oppugn**

I wasn't sure where the vampire was hiding, but I knew the moment the wolves had discovered him, the snapping and snarling was the first indication. The entire family had been sat in silence since Edward and I's illusive conversation. They knew something was going to happen, but the waiting was making the anticipation formidable. As soon as the silence was interrupted, we launched ourselves to the window knowing that the wolves would drive him into the open.

We were right. Not knowing he was surrounded he ran into the meadow directly into the remaining wolves. The sight was one to behold, the wolves had multiplied profoundly since the last time I had seen them as a collective group. I should have known really, considering the population of vampires had more than tripled in the last couple of weeks. My guilt surged through me. How had I missed that? Jacob had told me that the presence of the vampires had caused the biggest pack since Taha Aki, it would always be that way for them. Why would I think anything was different now?

"Bella, you can't feel guilty about things out of your control." Edward whispered, wrapping his arms around me.

I let my eyes roam over the large pack of wolves, I was counting them using their extraordinary hues to separate them. Twenty-two wolves, _twenty-two_. That could have been the entire junior class of the La Push high school for all I knew. All of them were children, Jacob included, yet, I couldn't tear my eyes away as they began the process of destroying the vampire. They were actually quite graceful to watch. A high metallic keening filled the silent air around us drawing the rest of the family's attention back to the field where the wolves were destroying the would-be assassin.

Carlisle, Esme and Demetri moved away from the window so they wouldn't have to watch. I could understand their move, it was a disturbing visual. The Volturi guard had given up as the wolves tore into him, there was no fighting against the twenty-two wolves, they worked quickly and accurately wasting no time or resources.

I wasn't able to watch long, the wolves pulled the vampire apart with such ease my stomach flipped inside of me. Yet, seeing this and knowing they could look after themselves was encouraging, I had always been so worried about them when they came up against vampires, but seeing how they worked as one now, and remembering how they had worked together against Felix, I realized my fears had been unfounded. But, this was me, and even after my realization, I knew, I would always worry about them. It would be impossible of my not to. They were my friends, they always would be.

I retreated from the window to stand with Esme and Carlisle after I'd had enough, and Edward followed me silently, his arm wrapped tightly around my waist. Esme picked up my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze of encouragement. She knew me well enough to know what I was thinking, she didn't need Edward's talent. I was the only one though. It seemed that even in silence, each of our minds was working on how we should proceed, we all knew what we needed to do. It was time to mobilize everyone. I had no idea where the Volturi were, or how long it would take them to get here, but if it had taken the vampire outside only eighteen minutes to reach us, I knew they wouldn't be far. Lurking in the shadow and biding their time.

"Alice, how long do we have until they arrive?" Edward had heard my thoughts.

"It's hard to say now the wolves are here, but I would say an hour at the most. They're being cautious and moving slowly, probably waiting for traps of some kind, they're also trying to stay out of view from the town, the don't want to alarm anyone. We need to get everyone back here, we also need to direct them to the main roads. The Volturi will stay away from them."

Edward nodded and began reading the thoughts of those that were accessible to him through the connection I provided, he couldn't recall them that way, but he could call the vampires that had wandered the furthest first. My eyes searched the room for the clock I knew stood on the mantle. It was barely ten at night, it had been less than four hours since I had been in the meadow with Edward, four hours since we had made the decision to come home, three since we had decided to hunt. Where was the time going?

Everything was happening so quickly, I was beginning to feel like I was losing control of everything around me. I hated this hopeless feeling, my fear was still eating at me, and it made me feel weak.

"It's perfectly normal, love." Edward whispered picking up my hand. "We're fighting for our right to live, we're fighting to be together for our eternity and still have our freedom."

"Why does it feel like we've been doing that from the beginning?" I asked sighing.

Edward chuckled. "Because in some ways we have."

I nodded at his affirmation, standing here, worrying about what was coming would change nothing, we had things to do, we had to organize ourselves before they arrived. The wolves had to set their path for the Volturi. I just hoped it would work.

The other vampires arrived back at the house quickly in short groups, it seemed as though, while Edward and I had been alone, the family had made sure everything would go smoothly should something change. Tanya, her family and Garrett were the first to return, they hadn't been far. After the call for Demetri to return they had stayed close in case they were needed.

The Japanese coven were the next to arrive, they had been over the border in Canada, out of the wolves region, but close enough to get back quickly, they had moved north because Akemi had missed the snowy mountains they had been dwelling in for the last couple of decades.

Then came the Australians, the French, Egyptians, they all came back, even Maria and her three companions. The house was once again filled to capacity and with the nervous energy swirling around us, it was becoming a festering pit of uncontrollable emotions. Poor Jasper looked as though he would happily pull his blond hair from his scalp. Alice appeased him as much as she could, sending emotions towards him that encouraged him to calm down, but I could only imagine the collective sorrow, fear and anxiety that lingered among the group.

By the time the last of the vampires had arrived, our time had dwindled to mere minutes. My dead heart was a lump in my throat as I clutched Edward to me. We were all silent, waiting for the sound of their arrival. We all knew we would hear them before we saw them, it came with the territory.

Jacob and his pack were strewn throughout the trees surrounding the house, all of them were in their wolf forms waiting for the arrival of the Volturi. I could see them from the window where I stood with Edward. Their ears were pricked up listening for the approaching vampires. I could tell the newer pack members from their brothers and sister immediately. Their furs were a wide array of color, but it wasn't that which distinguished them. It was their eagerness to fight.

The nine wolves that had been in the clearing sat still, their bodies alert and waiting for their call to action, the newer pack members fidgeted where they lay, moving at each small noise that filled their sensitive ears. They were too eager, too willing to fight the coven of vampires that were almost upon us. Jacob was a good leader, but I feared these children would get themselves into trouble.

My head rested against Edward's chest as my eyes roamed across the familiar meadow that harbored what I called home. My eyes cast glances at my family members who stuck to one another like glue, I also noticed the bonds that had developed since I had be too occupied to notice.

Now, with our fate hanging over us like a blanket of clouds, I noticed everything. Even small things like, Garrett's hand almost touching Kate's but not quite as they stood close to one another, I could see the desire to close the distance in both of them, but neither made the move to complete it. Demetri was stood between Eleazar and Tanya, he was alert and ready to follow us at a moments notice, but he was where he wanted to be, he looked comfortable standing with his friends.

How blind I had been, so many bonds forged while I was too focused on training and extending my barrier. I hadn't noticed any of the important things around me. My throat tightened as I tried to bite back the tearless sobs threatening to break loose. If I survived this, I would never be so blind again, I would cherish everything that crossed my path, this life, whether it be an eternity or an extended lifetime, was too precious to waste looking the other way. I had to grasp what was in front of me with both hands and cherish it.

I thought of the last visit I'd had with Charlie. That was yesterday, something I had managed to squeeze in between training sessions. Jacob had give Billy and Sue that task. They would be sitting in a cold car outside of the house, watching for the approach of something untoward. It wasn't the perfect scenario, they were all human, but it would give Charlie a fighting chance should we fail. He had been so happy to see me as I sat in the living room that seemed even smaller to me now. We talked about everything that had happened since I had moved to Forks. He would grin broadly as he began putting things together. My mysterious behavior, my mood swings, everything.

It had actually proved to be quite entertaining.

Edward's arms tightened around me as I let the thoughts run through my head. I had wasted my last days with him, I had focused my attention on something else when it should have all been about him. He was everything to me.

"Stop," Edward's lips brushed against my forehead, distracting me from my pattern of thought.

"I'm so sorry." my voice reflected the heaviness inside of me.

"No apologies, and no goodbyes, Isabella Marie Cullen. You will live forever right by my side, do you understand?" he whispered.

"I do." I choked on the words as they tried to escape me. "I love you, Edward. I have from the moment I saw you, and I will for the rest of eternity."

"And I you, Bella."

I pushed myself onto my toes and touched my lips to his. Ah, this was my heaven, in his arms, feeling his touch, breathing in his scent, I would never want anything more than this . . .

My thoughts were interrupted by a faint sound that was almost unmistakable, it was the sound of many feet. There was a group, moving as a collective unit, and there was no mistaking what was coming now. It was the Volturi.

;-)

My entire being trembled as the noise became louder, they were here for us, and they were moving quickly. I closed my eyes and let every memory I had run through my mind, I would use it as my strength. Remembering all of these things would strengthen me, remind me what I was fighting for. Not that I had ever lost sight of _that_. The came quickly to my mind, the moment I saw Edward through the crowded lunchroom, the fear and pain of our first interaction. The elation at his return, that one moment in the meadow when my future panned out in front of me like a long country road, disappearing into the horizon. He was everything to me, and if I wanted my forever with him I had to be prepared to fight for it, to give up the part of me that would cripple my efforts. I had to release my fear and trust in myself.

I drew a long breath and squared my shoulders as the memories danced around within me, this was it. I let my eyes drift around the room again and I noticed for the first time everyone was still here, stood around us, waiting. It was time to put our plan into action.

Tanya moved silently around the room directing the visiting vampires silently, her voice was so low I barely heard it myself, there was no way that the approaching Volturi could hear her. No one in the room would go far now, they would wait for their signal to move. For now though, my family and I had to make the Volturi believe we were the ones that had defied them, that they had snuck up on us. Any indication of knowing their first move would reveal Demetri's betrayal.

We all stood still listening to the noise as it amplified, they would know we could hear them so we had to make our move soon. My head pounded in perfect tempo with the marching. Thump, thump, thump. My eyes slid closed as I let the pounding knock the reality into me. I was a pinnacle spire in this plan, the success of this deceit would depend on me. I knew I could do this, I had to.

Edward nudged me forward gently with his arm and my eyes flickered open. The family was waiting for me as I drew my strength from deep within me.

Alice moved quickly to my side as Jasper and Emmett moved to flank Demetri. The sound outside was growing louder, it was reminiscent of the sounds of war, like the boy beating the drum as the army marched forward.

An army, the words made me tremble, that was what we were up against, their numbers were large, but even in the grouping we had now we outnumbered them. That was the only reassuring thought I had running through my head and I was willing to use that in my favor. I would use anything to distract me, I just needed a few more seconds of perfect ignorance before I did this, but we were out of time and the noise of their arrival made that perfectly clear.

Carlisle cracked the door open and the sound amplified within the walls of the house, casting a shadow of dread across it's occupants, I shook off the feeling immediately. We could do this, we _would_ do this.

Carlisle and Esme were the first out of the door, followed closely by Jasper, Demetri and Emmett. Rosalie, Alice, Edward and I followed behind them pulling the door closed behind us. The wolves scent would cover that of the vampires concealed behind the doors, we just needed them out of sight for now. The fresh air seemed to clear my head as we gathered on the porch, the night was casting shadows across the grass, but I was no longer so afraid.

The Volturi were not in sight yet, but I could tell by the soft vibrations and smell on the breeze that they weren't far. We stayed on the porch knowing it was our strongest vantage point. Each of us held our chins high as we waited. Not one of us moved. The sound was ominous as it closed in on us, thump, thump, thump, yet it was probably only our sensitive ears that could hear them. Even for vampires they moved eloquently, one large and imposing unit that would be all but silent to the sleeping humans in the small town of Forks.

To us though, it was a loud beacon of fear and tyranny.

The wolves were still in the trees but I could hear their hearts pounding against their ribs as they waited with baited breath. Their largest adversary was walking straight into the middle of their home. Alice had said it perfectly when she had described the Volturi to Jacob. They were the very essence of our kind, they were what made the wolves skin tingle and the hairs on the back of their neck stand on end, They were the reason for the animosity between the wolves and vampires. They very worst of our kind.

The wolves were here to protect their land, their people, their home. A home they would lay their lives down to protect. They were doing what they were created to do, they were living legacies and would be remembered in their tribal counsels for generations to come. I just had to make sure they survived this battle, I wanted them to be the ones to replay the story for the next generation of wolves. I wanted Jacob to be the greatest leader since Taha Aki. He was born for this.

Edward's arm tightened around me as we waited for visual that matched the sound, we didn't have to wait long.

The first sight of the cloaked line sent a wave of pure fear rolling down my spine. whatever had I had been expecting and had visualized in my mind, was nothing compared to the sight in front of me. They moved perfectly in step with one another as they appeared from the trees. The dark material of their cloaks made them inconspicuous against the darkness of the forest, yet their movements were hard to ignore, they were precise and exact as they walked towards the house taking up the length of the meadow.

Edward drew in a long breath beside me, and I knew things were about to get even more uncomfortable. The line of cloaked, shrouded figures came to a stop. Silence filled the air around us in a sudden snap of stillness. No one moved, no one breathed, we all just waited.

"Demetri." the cold voice of Aro drifted across the rain dampened field and lingered under the cover of the porch, his beckoning was an order not a request. Demetri stood still. Not even a muscle flickered under his pale olive skin.

Carlisle stepped forward and placed his hands on the railing of the porch, his kind eyes moved across the line of Volturi, stopping at the darkest cloaks that were placed in the center of the line.

"You left us no choice, Aro." Carlisle said, his tone was full of remorse. A remorse I knew he truly felt. There was no deception in this emotion.

A muttering ran through the line ahead of us. This was a declaration of war, we had defied the orders of Aro and the Volturi. There was no turning back from this anymore. We had just provoked them, the guard knew it, as did we. I picked Jane out of the line easily and watched her reaction. She was pleased, it seemed her red eyes were wide with excitement as the declaration hung between us. Her eyes met mine and her eyes narrowed, yet her smiled stayed in place.

A cold silence filled the damp air again as Aro decided how he should answer. I was sure this was all so new to him. I doubted Aro had been told no before. No one would dare to defy him.

Edward, gripped onto my hand and began to squeeze gently. Demetri was communicating to him who to protect and he, in turn, was communicating that to me. I tried to block out everything around me as I concentrated on the numbers being given to me. Demetri had told me to work from the left.

The sixth mind I drew into my protection was Marcus, his dead eyes still looked as they had the first time I had met him, his expression had changed even less. He looked bored with the situation, there was no anger or anxiety present as his eyes glared at us from across the field, but there had to be some form of emotion filling him. He was about to betray the only family he had known as a vampire, putting aside the fact that Aro had killed his mate, they still had a history together. Centuries worth of memories and camaraderie, if this was his poker face, I had to admire him.

I continued along the row until I knew I had twelve under my protection, Demetri had given me the numbers so there would be no mistake. Twelve . . . there were forty-six Volturi guards standing before us in the open field. How could twelve make that big of a difference?

"Bella,' Edward's voice was so quiet I had a hard time hearing him clearly. "There are twenty two wolves surrounding us."

I did the math in my head quickly, the wolves were quite a match for the Volturi once we took the twelve mutinous vampires into account, and then we had our our group which consisted of thirty-one vampires from around the globe. We outnumbered the Volturi by almost two-to-one, but I knew better than to think of that as an advantage.

The silence hung in the meadow like a lead weight, it was heavy and ominous, both sides were waiting for the other to make a move, a move that would start what we knew was coming. I wasn't sure what the plan was or when it was going to happen, but I knew it was now in Marcus' hands. I was prepared for that.

The cloaked guards watched us closely, as we moved closer together, we knew without a doubt something would start soon, when comparing the moves to any game, we were currently in check. Both sides had something to offer but neither wanted to show their hand too quickly. After another moment of complete nothingness, Marcus finally made his move, he stepped forward slowly, his eyes appraising us as a group. Edward let out the air he'd been holding in his lungs, I knew this was Marcus' opportunity, and he was taking it. All the fear and apprehension I had been harboring within me released from me. I hadn't realized how pessimistic I had been until I saw the vampire ahead of me.

"Carlisle, I thought us old friends." his voice was quiet as it reached us, but the words were clear and concise.

"We were, Marcus, but did you believe for a second I would let the threat against my family become a reality. You think me ignorant enough to believe the lies you and your brothers have force fed us?"

Caius hissed towards us from under his hood, his pale thin skin barely visible in the night's shadows. Aro placed a hand on his shoulder before waiting for Marcus to respond.

'What lies, Carlisle? Did you believe we would kill your family to gain the few that have gifts?"

"It wouldn't be the first time." Rosalie spat with venom, her eyes narrowed as she glared towards the offending vampires.

Another babble of mutters ran through the line of guards. It was evident no one had ever dared to speak to the Volturi like this before, no one had ever been this defiant. I was certain of that.

Marcus took a step forward, raising his hand when some of the guard stepped forward to follow. His eyes were focused on Rosalie as he stepped forward again.

"Marcus?" Caius hissed.

Marcus turned his head back to his brothers and muttered something quietly. Aro nodded thoughtfully, but Caius looked annoyed. Marcus took another step forward, he continued slowly until he was at the bottom of the porch steps. No one moved an inch as he drifted towards us. I felt the muscles tighten in my body, I was prepared for anything now. This was how it was supposed to work, Marcus would confront them once he was safely within our group.

Demetri was the first to react, he moved slowly towards his master, he stood above him on the top step looking down. He bowed his head once and moved to the bottom of the stairs to stand to the left Marcus. Aro's eyes widened as they scanned from Marcus and Demetri to us above them. I knew what he must be thinking, why had we had a sudden change of heart, why had we let Demetri move toward Marcus with no attempt at stopping him? They were all questions we knew the answers too, questions Marcus himself was preparing to answer.

"Marcus?" The confusion was evident in Aro's voice, his usual smirk of a smile was gone as he assessed the scene in front of him. "Brother, what is this?"

Marcus pushed his hood from his head revealing his flowing black hair beneath it. He stared across the field at Aro and Caius, I wasn't sure of the look he was wearing but Caius' reaction was enough to realize something was wrong.

Edward stifled a laugh beside me as Caius' eyes grew larger. I shot Edward a look, I found nothing funny about the predicament we were in, he let his laugh form and smile and he nodded to our left and right. My eyes ran across the front of the house, I could stop my mouth from curling upwards at the sight in front of us.

The wolves stalked quietly around the side of the house to flank Marcus on either side, the vampire in front of us didn't flinch once as Jacob sat down to the right of him, his personified comfort as he nodded to the overgrown animal beside him. The voice of awe was a loud vocal humming from across the field. I had to admit, even I was impressed at Marcus' lack of emotion. Without speaking to Demetri, how had he known of Jacob's alliance?

"His gift." Edward whispered quietly. "He saw their loyalty to them through his gift, he knew where they stood as soon as he entered this field."

I nodded not daring to say a word out loud. My throat was, once again, thick with the emotions I was trying desperately to hide. Edward pulled me closer into his side, leaving his arm to hang loosely around my waist. I took comfort in the familiarity of the arm and waited for the scene ahead of us to escalate.

Marcus waited until there was complete silence before answering Aro. I was guessing he would not be repeating the words he was about to articulate.

"You have the audacity to call me _brother_, Aro?"

The silence from across the field was deafening.

"After all you have done, you expected me to be loyal, _to you_?" Marcus spat.

"What is this your speaking of, Marcus. I'm sure your misunderstood, come, join us and we shall forgive you." Aro motioned to Chelsea to step forward. The girl obeyed her order and stepped forward smiling at Marcus with a serenity that could have pulled me towards them, the gently nudging at the edge of my mind answered any questions I'd had. They were trying to manipulate Marcus.

Marcus laughed. It was an odd sound, it was awkward and throaty, but it caught the attention of the Volturi.

"You see, I made friends with Carlisle and his _family_. You were to arrogant to see that they would never be a threat to you Aro, but your greed made you blind, you pushed them into a corner giving them no way out. It's been quite beneficial to me, you see, Aro, I know you murdered Didyme, the one thing I ever wanted for eternity and you put her down like a lame horse."

"Lies," Caius shouted, the wives behind him hissed at the accusation. Aro said nothing. His silence was enough of a confession, in saying nothing he was implicating the truth behind Marcus' words.

"Your own flesh and blood, you murdered your biological sister to keep me with you, and see where it's gotten you_ brother_, a death sentence." Marcus's voice was like a razor as it sliced through the damp night air, there was no sarcasm marring his voice now, it was pure, venomous hatred lacing his words as his spat them across the field.

Aro's eyes flickered between Demetri, Marcus, and the rest of us stood at the front of the house. The truth became perfectly evident as his silence grew into anger. His usual smile had disappeared now and was replaced with a snarling lip, his anger was trained directly on Demetri

I felt a flurry of pings against my mental defenses as the line of guard attempted to defend their master, the multiple attacks wore on me, but it wasn't painful, just distracting as the attacks came in waves, subconsciously my fingers massaged my temple gently, easing out the uncomfortable feeling barraging on me.

"Aro," Marcus chastised him, "Do you think me stupid enough to do this without a plan of some sort? Your endeavor to steal Bella and Alice from the Cullen's has certainly worked against you here, do you think I would leave myself vulnerable to the pets you have been collecting all these years? I chose my friends well. Bella's talent is stronger than you could ever imagine, and with an opportunity to help one another we came to a mutual agreement of sorts."

I met every pair of eyes that bore into me from across the field, including Aro's.

"Then there was Alice. How do you think I have been communicating with Demetri all this time, coordinating this alliance." Marcus motioned to the wolves sat on either side of him waiting patiently.

Aro said nothing more, he just glared at the group of us gathered around the porch, the large wolves lining the front of the house must have seemed daunting from the other side, but each of the guards stood with their shoulders squared under their cloaks. Each head was turned towards their master waiting for their instructions. Aro's eyes were like fire as he trained them on me.

"Kill her." Aro's voice was quiet but it carried across to us like a gunshot.

He'd said kill her, not them, _her_. They were coming after me.

The entire line of guard rushed towards us, black and gray cloaks waved behind them as they advanced, my entire body froze as I processed the image in front of me. They moved with a precision and agility that was almost beautiful to watch, but I had no time left to stand and watch them advance, I would not put my family in danger this way.

Before I had time to think about how to react, the door to the house was thrown open and the vampires that had been waiting inside sped past me with such speed my hair danced around my face. Had this been their signal to act, or had the reacted to threat without the order, it didn't matter either way, because in the blink of an eye, everything changed.

The advancing vampires seemed to hang in animation as those among the ranks I had protected, turned against those they ran with. The line broke apart quickly as they were attacked from within. Brad, one of the Australian vampires was the first to connect with the already fighting guards. He pounced high above the fray and disappeared as he landed among the cloaks.

My instincts arose inside me as more of our friends entered the fight, the anxiety and anger boiled beneath the surface of me waiting to be released from the cage I had built around it, there was a pull within me, propelling me forwards, there was no fighting it. I jumped from the porch and took off towards the fight. My legs were pushing me forwards with all of the strength I possessed, I was moving quickly, but I didn't get far. Arms wound around my waist pulling my legs from the ground so they kicked futilely. I struggled kicking my legs, growls poured from my mouth as I fought for release.

"Bella, calm down." Edward's voice rolled over me like a satin sheet calming every urge that had been running through my system. My legs fell to the ground as the wolves moved around us.

Edward set me on my feet in front of him, and turned me so I was looking into his golden pools of molten gold. I could see the slight amusement playing behind them, but as things escalated they grew serious once again. The wolves were now in a full circle around us, blocking out most of the fighting that was growing more intense by the second. I knew what had just happened, I should have known Jacob would fight to keep me safe.

"Edward . . ."

"I didn't know, I just heard it in their minds."

"Why are you letting them do this?"

"Bella, I need you to stay safe, Marcus has just declared war on his proverbial brothers. Aro is taking it harder than any of us anticipated. You are not only his first target, you are his only target."

"I know that, Edward. He made that abundantly clear, but why? We all defied them."

"You are the one stacking the odds against them, you protected the vampires that betrayed him, it's sent him over the edge, he's out for our heads. But killing you will tip the scale in his favor."

"Then why aren't we all protected, Edward?"

"We can take care of ourselves, Bella. You are evening out this fight, we need you to be safe."

"Edward . . ."

"No, Bella." Edward cut me off before I could finish my thought.

Defeated I laid my head against his chest, the cloaked figures had moved so quickly, it was all that would run through my mind. Now, I was trapped in a circle of wolves, I was draining their resources. Everyone was needed in this fight, and here I was protected by a wall of soft, warm blooded animals. Guilt and angst coursed through me like poison through my veins.

We could see so little through the wolves, but the noises were loud enough to have every inch of my skin crawling, Edward pulled me to him his hand held my head against his chest amplifying the sound of his breath. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen, we weren't supposed to be involved in the fighting. Marcus' men were supposed to take them out from within the line. Why had we advanced with them?

Edward stiffened around me, his arms a rigid circle crushing me to his chest. Something had gone terribly wrong, he was seeing something in the mind of someone outside of our confines.

"What is it?" my voice shook in time with my body, it was rougher than the normal musical sounds that escaped me. Fear had taken control.

"Alice," he whispered. He stepped forward pushing against one of the wolves gently so he could see what was happening. As the wolf moved my breath was stolen from me. Alice's small figure was dancing around a vampire that was faster than any I had seen, rather than missing her by the margin of most, he was inches from her, readjusting his movements at each approach, always getting closer.

"It's his gift, he learns from others, her movements are becoming more familiar to him so he can anticipate her moves."

"No," As the words spilled from me the vampire made contact with Alice's small form, he pinned her to the ground hovering over her body as his head closed in on her dainty neck.

Edward kissed my forehead, then he was gone, the circle of wolves that had surrounded us separated with just enough space for him to slide through, as I moved to follow they closed around me, locking me within the circle so I couldn't follow.

"EDWARD!" My voice didn't reach him in time. He pounced with brute force on the vampire that had Alice pinned below him, rolling the two of them across the grass, then they were gone, moved to where I could no longer see them through the wall of fur that surrounded me.

"Edward," there was no noise as his name passed my lips, it was a silent call, my anxiety had stripped all of the volume from me.

The field was a mass of fighting that surrounded me, it was disorientating as bodies moved around the space quickly, the fur, mingled in with the pale skin of the vampires created a haze of hues in the darkness. How had it gotten to this point so quickly?

Our hopes of not having to fight had been quashed by the Volturi and I had no idea how we'd gotten here.

The noise was all consuming, the deep rumbles of the wolves guttural growls and snarls, the hissing and throaty anger of the vampires, the shouts of their voices as they communicated with one another. It was chaos in the only world I had ever known as a vampire.

My eyes scanned the field as I watched the flying bodies and mangled body parts. Aro, was stood with Caius and the wives, he was waiting for his moment of triumph, a moment I hoped would never come. The four of them had no intention of fighting, they were allowing their devoted, albeit against their will, minions to take the fall for them.

No one was getting close to him, there were waves of guards making up the layers that we had to penetrate, I hadn't noticed that Marcus' men had been pushed away from the four vampires, everything had happened so quickly. There was a line closer to the four, they were protecting them at all costs, I could barely see through the wall of fur, but I knew that Aro and the others would have to be taken care of if this was to end the way we wanted it too. There was no living while they survived, it was all or nothing.

My eyes scanned the rest of the field for Edward, I knew he wasn't far from me I could feel him, almost as though he were an extension of myself. He was locked in a pattern of attacks with Soren, the one vampire I knew he happily annihilate because of the position he'd thrown us into. Jasper was now with the vampire that had almost killed Alice. I knew Jasper's abilities and from what I could see he was easily dominating the fight. Edward growl pulled me back to him and I watched as Soren once again attacked. My fear for him rose within me, giving me the need to do _something, _anything.

I was still stuck within a circle of wolves, they wouldn't allow me to move past them and they weren't willing to budge. They were the new, younger wolves and they were following a direct order from their Alpha. I felt hopeless and useless. Once again, I was being shielded while the ones I loved were fighting for our freedom.

I could see the fights going on around me through the furry bodies that surrounded me, I was so torn, in order to protect all those that were fighting. I knew that my safety was imperative, yet I felt as though I should be among them defending the family, defending our friends, defending our lives, I was capable, but if I was, by some chance taken down, the others would be left defenseless.

So I watched, my eyes now constantly on the twins as they fought against Rosalie and Benjamin. Rosalie was outfighting Jane easily, her long stride moved her gracefully around the eternal adolescent. Rosalie's movements were quick and precise as she delivered blow after blow to the girls small form, but Jane was resilient and recovered quickly. Their movements were fluid as they danced around the fighting vampires that surrounded them. Benjamin was struggling with Alec, the small boys movements were accurate and he hit with the strength of Emmett. He continually moved in with the intent of dismembering Benjamin, his pulls were hard and swift but his footing was unfound in the damp ground. Benjamin continually moved around him, his footing never in question as he manipulated his surroundings.

As long as Jane and Alec were sill around I would be needed, their were the Volturi's most volatile offense. I watched with intently, paying no attention to what was going on elsewhere, but Edward's safety was always in t he back of my mind.

It took a while for me to notice the dissipation of the wolves surrounding me, they took off one by one helping their brothers as they were called and released from their bond to protect me. As soon as I noticed the hole the others shifted to close it. They couldn't keep that up forever, and I needed to be doing something so I made a decision. My anxiety was berating me internally as long as I stood here doing nothing, there was a chance someone I knew, or loved would get hurt.

I could feel the muscles in my legs bunch to the command I was giving them, they bent slowly, almost like a compressed coil, waiting for the release. I pushed from the ground and into the air above the wolves, my body traveled like a bullet through the air. I landed gracefully on the ground and pushed myself forward, ignoring the howling of the younger wolves behind me. I had my target in sight as I moved, I was dodging through the fighting bodies, my eyes focused on what I was after.

I pushed myself on knowing that I could help, Emmett and Jasper had trained me for anything and I wasn't going to sit back and watch as my family fought for me, again. My arms stretched out ahead of me toward the preoccupied vampire fighting within my sights. I had a personal vendetta to settle with this vampire and she would feel the full power of my attack.

My body impacted against Jane's with the full force of the speed I was traveling, her body fell to the ground with a trembling thud. Rosalie's exulted laugh danced around me as she moved quickly to attack the small vampire beneath me.

Jane wriggled futilely but I had her small form pinned. She was quicker than I was and I knew that from watching her with Rosalie, but I had caught her off guard. She struggled beneath me, her feminine snarl rising from her throat as she snapped at my appendages. I had forgotten about her twin though. I felt the full force of Alec as he pushed me from his sister with a snarling "No,"

Rosalie moved quickly to keep Jane's form pinned to the ground, I rolled onto all fours facing Alec as he did the same. We glared at one another through narrowed eyes all the repulsion and hate boiled under the surface of my skin. It ran through me with a tremble reaching every last nerve that ran throughout my body, there was no denying this now, my instincts were driving me towards him, my vengeance was like an animal fighting for release.

His muscles twitched below his pallid skin, stretching as they pre formed his movements. He was making his move, I could sense it in the air that surrounded me. His lips peeled back revealing the rows of razor sharp, gleaming teeth. I could feel the snarl growing inside of me, it spilled over as I parted my lips in anticipation.

He sprang forward propelling himself as fast as he could at me, I prepared myself for him waiting for the impact, I planted my feet in the ground. My shoulders moved forward waiting for his small body to collide with mine. His red eyes boiled with the hate filled anger as he moved, I concentrated on him alone as he moved towards me, each foot fall brought him closer and I processed the movements, waiting.

I knew the moment he took flight at me, his knees bent lower than they had as they pushed him into the air. He sailed towards me but I didn't wait, I sprang towards him but left a small gap between us as I passed him. My hands reached out and grasped at him, catching the first thing I came close to, his hair. A high metallic keening filled the air as I pulled him after me, his body fell to the ground with a loud empty sound, and in my hand was a clump of his hair, all pulled from the follicles. He was growling again but his body was pointing in the opposite direction, he'd temporarily forgotten about me because of what he had seen. What had he seen?

My eyes followed the direction of his and I immediately knew what had distracted him, Rosalie was still pinning Jane's body to the ground, but in her hand, she held her head. Rosalie smirked at Alec, her delicate eyebrows rose on her perfect face, her lips parted again and her head dipped slowly towards the body below her.

An odd noise rose from Alec as he started towards Rosalie. It was obvious his anger was driving him forward, he was blind to everything around him as he propelled forward, I moved after without thought, my one intention was to protect Rosalie at all costs, I caught up with him quickly. I pounced at him, my shoulder landing squarely between his shoulder blades. A groan of grief mingled with his growl of anger spilled forth as his fell face forward into the ground.

I moved quickly, my teeth slid across the back of his neck with a metallic scream, my hands planted themselves in the soft curls of his hair and pulled with every ounce of my strength. The screaming continued as I fought to separate the head from his body. My knees dug into his back and I pulled. I hadn't expected so much resistance from the torn flesh but it fought with me as I evusled.

I tried to block out the sound and concentrated on the sounds outside of it, all were indicative of the fighting that surrounded me, but one stood out against the others, it was a whimpering, soft enough for me to know it was at a distance, but strong enough that it grabbed my attention. One of the wolves was in trouble.

My eyes scanned the space around me as I looked for the source of the sound, the fighting was everywhere, Edward and Soren were locked in a battle, large growls emitting from them both as they charged one another. My dead heart lodged in my throat as I watched the impact, my body recoiled as the tremor shook the earth below my knees.

Demetri was flitting around the meadow, his combat skill on hire to any vampire we had asked for help. He tore through the Volturi guard with ease, Marcus' other allies did the same. I couldn't see Marcus in the fight but I knew that meant nothing, his frailty was the same as that of Aro, a frailty I was willing to expose if it was necessary.

My eyes continued around the field until I found the source that had distracted me to begin with.

Aro's eyes were wild with fury as he glared through the crowd at me, I felt the anger rise inside of me again, that was until I saw the source of the sound. Aro was stood alone, away from Caius and the wives, and there was a reason for this distance. His hand was clawed around the neck of someone I cared about, someone I considered family, why had Seth gotten so close?

The sandy wolf was pinned to the ground, Aro's thin hand pushing against his throat, the whines were released as his hand tightened cutting the air from Seth's lungs. The other wolves were gathering around the scene after seeing it with their connection, but if they made any move to stop the situation, Aro would kill Seth.

Aro wanted _me_ and he knew the tie I had to the wolves, he saw them as expendable, but he knew without a doubt that, to me, no one was expendable except for myself, he not only knew it, he counted on it.

A smirk passed over his features as he watched my resolve break apart. He knew I would act to save my friend, and it didn't matter which one it was, he'd seen my self sacrifice too much in the memories of the ones I loved. I should have known he'd gone through Charlie's memory to find the real me, to find the things I was closest too.

The whole world felt as though it slowed down around me as I let go, I let go of Alec who was still apart in my hands, I let go of my fear that was crushing everything within me, I let go of myself. He may steal my eternity from me, but I would always belong to Edward.

I started forward slowly, everything around me was moving as if time itself had been paused, all that was in the field now was Aro, me, and the sandy wolf being held prisoner by the pallid skinned vampire. I stretched my arms in front of me, palms up as a sign of surrender and walked forward. It seemed I had gone full circle, giving my life for another was a noble was to die, wasn't it?

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**A/N: I am sooooo sorry it took so long to get this up, it's been nightmare after nightmare, but I hope it was worth the wait. It's also my longest chapter EVER!! Almost 8,500 words. That makes up for it a little bit, right?**

**So here come the excuses . . . The AC went out in my house and it was hot, which meant very little sleep for me, the fatigue brought with it a bout of writers block that I just couldn't shift. Finally though, when I got inspiration it was in two separate places. There was a thunderstorm rolling around on Wednesday night that knocked out our internet which sucked because I couldn't download the other half of the chapter. It's still out now so I am uploading this at work . . . I'm a bad girl! I'm not sure about the first half of this chapter, I would love it if you could tell me what you think. **

**Thank you for all the Alerts and Faves, and of course a HUGE THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS WHO ARE AWESOME AND PATIENT AND HONEST. I REALLY HOPE THIS WAS WORTH WAITING FOR, YOU GUYS SERIOUSLY ROCK!!**

**BIG HUGZ - MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL - L -  
**


	30. Chapter 30

_**All things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer.**_

_**There is a song that inspired the first part of this chapter, the lyrics don't really match, but the music grasps the moment. It's "Set Fire to the Third Bar, by Snow Patrol". Let me know if it works for you ;)  
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**_**Chapter 31 - NUMB**

All of the sounds around me disappeared as I moved forward, my eyes were on Aro alone. I was focused, nothing was going to stop me from saving Seth, he was an innocent child, here because we had forced the hand of the Volturi. My feet were like lead as I stepped slowly forward, the distance seemed to stretch out before me. I was barely breathing as I moved forward, I couldn't breath, Seth's life depended on my sacrifice.

Aro's hand grasped around Seth's neck his fingers flexed causing small choking noises to gurgle from Seth's chest. He was inducing as much pain as he possibly could to make me move faster, but I was caught in limbo, I couldn't force my body to move faster than it was. It was almost as though shock had grasped hold of me, making me move in slow motion.

The smile on Aro's lips spread as he waited patiently for me, but he failed to see one thing, the twins were gone. His devastating offensive line had been annihilated, my family and friends would still reign victorious without my help. Even as sad as that made me, I couldn't help but be glad I could give them an advantage before I died, I could never forgive myself if I had left them exposed and vulnerable, but I could never forgive myself if I let Seth die either.

Why had he gotten so close?

The darkness of the night surrounded me as I walked with palms up. I wasn't sure whether Aro would see this as the peace offering it was meant to be, but it was the only thing I could offer. My mind once again focused on Edward and the pain this would cause him. I knew what his solution would be, but I hoped Alice would see it before he tried anything, the world would be a dark place without Edward Cullen and I didn't want to be responsible for his death. I was giving myself to Aro, but my heart and Soul would always belong to the man I was leaving behind. I hoped he could hear the thought that ran through my mind now, but I also hoped he wouldn't. He would come after me, try and stop me from doing what I had to do.

I stopped walking when I was ten feet from the vampire and wolf, the noises that were coming from Seth scared me, his eyes were wide and bulging from the sockets as he stared at me. I would bargain for his freedom, Aro would not let both of us walk and I wasn't naive enough to believe he would let Seth go if I delivered myself into his hands. I didn't know what me next move would be, but I wouldn't make it easy for Aro until he released the wolf.

"Bella," Aro's voice, reserved for pleasantries, ebbed from him as he reveled in the victory of getting me this close. I was disgusted, the condescending tone he used sent a wave on anger down my spine, but I had to keep myself composed, because I had to keep Seth alive. It was my objective right now.

"Aro," I replied, my eyes on the wolf. "You can let him go now, I won't run from you, Aro. I'm tired of running."

I was being honest, after everything I had gone through in the past three or so years, I was tired of hiding from the things that were determined to kill me. So, here I was, if this was honestly my time to die, then I would accept it willingly, but I would fight, I was tired of hiding, but I wasn't tired of living. I would meet anything that came after me head on, it was my only choice, and the vampire that was stood in front of me could no longer hold anything over my head. It was him or me.

"Ah, Bella. After this deception do you think me ignorant enough to believe your false bravado?"

A throaty growl escaped me as he flexed his fingers around Seth's throat again. "Do you think me naive enough to believe you will let him go if I walk within your reach?" I hissed. If he could get away with it, he would kill us both. He knew that I was aware of that, but his insulting my intelligent was all part of his sick little deception. He wanted me to be angry, no, furious, he was trying to provoke me.

Aro chuckled. "Ah, I believe they call this an impasse." His eyes were alight with the excitement, he liked this game.

I shuddered at his use of the word. The terms would not be in my favor here, there was no compromising like I had with Edward. Aro was working to kill me now, his offer to serve him was rebuked. I had caused too much damage to his small empire to live, even if I was living by his terms. It was a personal vendetta that he would cash in.

Something caught my attention as the breeze shifted, someone was coming from behind me, I could smell his scent on the air as my hair blew around my face. Fear rose within me. My mind screamed at him to walk away but I could feel his presence getting closer, his scent filled my senses as they grew stronger.

Seth growled lightly under the hold of Aro, it was a warning, I wasn't sure if he was communicating with Edward or warning Aro of his demise. Aro hissed angrily as Edward approached behind me, I didn't take my eyes from Aro. This was about him and I, nothing would change what was about to happen and I would never turn my back on him. One false move and he would attack.

I heard Edward's voice behind me, it was the most familiar sound in the world, velvet and smooth. It was the voice that comforted me, reassured me, declared his love for me. I closed my eyes and swallow every ounce of pain that filled me. I couldn't do this with him so close, he would offer himself to Aro. I couldn't live with that.

Aro's mouth contorted into a sneer as he realized exactly what this meant. I was surprised it had taken him so long to put the pieces together.

"I see nothing's changed much." Aro laughed, there was a mocking behind the laugh.

I felt Edward's hand as it ran down the length of my arm and nestled into mine. There was an ache within me, I fought back the sobs, as my empty tear ducts tingled where the tears should be. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen, he was supposed to go on without me. Selfishly I knew I would do the same in his position, but I didn't want this for him.

"Always holding onto your humanity, Bella." Aro laughed, as my bottom lip trembled. "You no longer have the luxury of your human reactions."

Edward squeezed my hand gently in reassurance, but it did nothing other than cause my chest to tighten. I hoped he had a plan for the three of us. His hand tightened around mine again, something inside of me recognized this as an answer, but my hope had run dry.

"Aro, please. Let Seth go." I begged as the animal choked again. He was so close, but one small move and Aro would crush Seth's neck, we couldn't risk it. Seth's eyes were dulling as the life was slowly being squeezed from him. This was one of the hardest things I had ever had to endure, watching my friend die in front of me, while I was frozen in place, hopeless.

I looked to Edward for help but his eyes were looking off to the left. I wasn't sure what had distracted him, but I couldn't take my eyes from his face to look, my fear was incapacitating me.

"Aro, have you ever heard of the term, an eye for an eye?" Edward asked turning to face Aro once again.

Aro chuckled and squeezed on Seth's neck, there was a small scratching noise coming from the wolf, and I could feel the anger and fear mingling within me. I hoped Edward had a plan because this was not the time for riddles. Seth was suffering.

"Your point?"

"How would you feel if Sulpicia was in the same predicament as Seth here?"

Aro's smile disappeared and his head spun in the direction he had left his wife, Caius and Athenodora. The wolves had circled the three vampires, Jacob's mouth was surrounding Sulpicia's neck. His eyes on us. I could see the restrain he forced upon himself, it would be so easy to bite down and kill the vampire that was locked within his jaws, but he was using her as bait, a distraction.

Aro growled loudly at the scene before him, he hadn't factored in anything other than him killing me, in his arrogance he hadn't dreamed that our allies would slide through the line of vampires protecting them. My head looked behind me as the thought occurred. There was no defensive line for the brothers and their wives, the fighting had penetrated the line and the guards were locked into battles as they attempted to save their own lives. Aro, Caius and the wives were alone.

I felt a small smile creep onto my lips as I realized that the odds had been evened out, but my relief was temporary. I sobered quickly as I realized this could go only one way, we were backing him into a corner and his only option would be to take out someone with him, he knew that we would kill him, we couldn't not kill him. I felt every muscle in my body tense as I considered the loss of Seth, I couldn't let it happen, I wouldn't.

Aro's eyes were vacant as they stared at the battle still raging behind us, the sound of metal being ripped apart was everywhere, as advantages were gained. My only option was to make him believe he had an option. I had to save Seth's life, I couldn't have his murder on my conscience.

I stepped forward, my hand still tangled with Edward's. He moved to pull me back but I proceeded slowly, my eyes on Aro's hand that flexed anxiously.

Aro's grip tightened as I took another step forward, so I stopped and looked into his cloudy crimson eyes.

"This isn't your only choice Aro," I whispered quietly, my eyes flickering between his face and his hand. "You can chose to live, you can save Sulpicia."

His eyes narrowed as he assessed my offer, I knew he wasn't ignorant and that my offer was very clearly an empty one, but I hoped in this moment of desperation I could confuse him enough to get what I wanted.

Aro's cold laugh was urgent as he appraised me once again. I decided to change my approach.

"Would you prefer that they killed Sulpicia slowly in front of your eyes? I don't want you to suffer any more than you have to. This is your choice Aro."

There was no response from him as he glared at me. I took a deep breath as I edged forward, his hand tightened again causing Seth to choke noisily against the hand that held him. I would not let him die.

Aro's eyes moved to his wife once again and I took my chance. I felt Edward's hand tense around mine as he saw my decision passing through my mind. This was a risk, but it was the only option I had. I slid my hand from his, waiting for Aro to notice the movement, but he was oblivious as he gazed at his wife who had a large russet wolf at her neck, teeth bared, fur stood up at the close proximity, his eyes on the hand wrapped around Seth's neck.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the things that surrounded me, I was waiting for some wind or some movement that would distract Aro from my attempts to save Seth.

Then my opportunity came, it was like divine intervention, the flash in the sky and the electricity in the air told me that the sound would be following.

I waited for felt like an eternity, the air was fully charged, alive with the electricity that was building. Then it started, the gentle rolling of the thunder as the clouds released the charge. I sprang forward with every ounce of speed I could muster, hoping beyond hope that I wasn't too late.

My aim was perfect as I hit the space between Aro and the wolf, One hand was stretched towards the wolf and the other was aimed at Aro's shoulder. It was risky considering the grip Aro had on Seth's neck, but it was my last option. I heard the loud metallic keening as I made impact, the arm traveled with me as I hit the ground and rolled. The arm had a handful of fur locked in it's grip, but I couldn't bring myself to see whether I was quick enough to have saved Seth. My eyes were locked on Aro as he span around to face me, pure rage and hatred filling every crease in his wrinkled pallid skin. His eyes followed every one of my movements, I was hunched low to the ground as I advanced inch by inch.

Aro was on his own and I would finish him. This would be the last time he threatened me, my family or my friends. He would not come after me again and I wanted to be the one to finalize that, I would rip him apart, every last inch of him would be a small morsel I would throw into the fire.

He was a skilled warrior, but sitting stagnant all these years would not have worked to his advantage, I had my strength and I would use it.

His fragile looking body, fell into a threatening crouch, his wild, cloudy eyes were focused on me alone. I let my muscles tense as I stalked his movements, I concentrated on him alone as I blocked out the other sights and sounds around us, it was him and me. My eyes picked up on every movement I could see, the cloak he wore covered any movement he was making under it, but I was quick, I knew my intuition would help me in this fight. It was the fight for my life.

I froze where I was stood, knowing I would a sitting duck for Aro, what he didn't know was that I would use that to my advantage. I closed my eyes and found his scent. He was stood still, and I knew my movements had confused him, he was my only target so I grasped on to the sound of his ragged breathing and the gentle flapping his cloak made in the wind. His breathing shallowed infinitesimally and I knew he would be making his move soon.

My body tensed waiting for the sound of his movement, he would not fight fairly, of this I was certain.

I knew the moment he projected himself towards me, his cloak was the first indication as it slapped against him, my eyes flickered open as a growl brewed within me, he sprang at me, but I was too quick for his attempt, and I rolled into the grass as he sailed past me. Aro was not going peacefully though. He grabbed a handful of my shirt as he passed. The gentle ripping of the cotton filled the air, and I landed hard on my knees just feet from him.

I bounced back quickly, spring to me feet as I readjusted my position, he wouldn't get another opportunity like that. Both of us knew that. I stalked gently to right, my eyes watching him as he attempted once again to spring at me, I concentrated on the sounds of his movements as his feet left the ground, he was attacking in exactly the same fashion as he had the first time around, this time he sailed past me out of reach, I had pounced out of his reach before he could change his direction.

I was on my feet before he'd landed and I sprang towards him, but his frail appearance was a deception, his hand caught me before I could make impact, he threw me as though I were a rag doll, light as a feather, my body twisted and contorted as it picked up speed, I was trying to correct myself and get back to him before he could follow, but my efforts were futile. My body wrapped around a spruce but the force with which I was thrown made it snap bringing it down with me. I threw it from my body and jumped to my feet.

The smirk Aro was wearing infuriated me, it added the fuel to my dwindling fire, bringing with it the rage that bubbled inside of me, making it rise above the surface again, renewing my resolve, I would take Aro down. There was nothing that would stop me now. The anger brought with it strength, the strength I had been maintaining for this.

I used the trees to my advantage as I pushed against them gaining speed. I could feel my lips peeling back over my teeth. I once again took flight towards my target. This time I was wiser though, rather than aiming for the vampire himself I aimed for his remaining arm, it would leave him defenseless.

I timed my landing perfectly, knowing he wouldn't expect it, I landed a foot from him, reaching for the appendage before springing away from him again. I could hear the metal scream as I used my speed and weight to pull against him, but he was stood, feet planted into the damp earth beneath him.

My feet landed not three feet from him, but I wasn't finished, he didn't have another arm to propel me from him, I used my legs pushing against his torso as I pushed away from him. This time the arm screamed in protest as it's muscles and tendons split from the body I had used as a springboard.

Aro growled loudly, his eyes were alive with the fire of hatred that burned below the surface, something inside me felt the satisfaction at being hated this much by the animal that had threatened our existence, the animal that had Sam murdered, the animal that had kidnapped Charlie, the animal that could have killed Seth. I still hadn't checked on his safety, but I needed all of my concentration for the vampire snarling at me. My grief would incapacitate me, I needed all of my concentration and anger to finish this.

I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath knowing that the task, should be easier, but wouldn't be. Aro wouldn't go quietly and he'd been in existence longer than Edward and I put together. I walked towards him now, knowing that without arms he would not be able to spring effectively. My head tipped to the side as his eyes imagined my murder. I thought I would feel pity, killing had never been something I thought I would be capable of, but I felt nothing. The monster in front of me had tried to take everything I held dear from me, and all I felt was rage, anger and hatred. It scared me.

"What Bella, you don't have it in you to kill me?"

I let my lips curl into a sadistic smile, hoping it would get my point across. "Quite the contrary, Aro. I think I can."

A roll of pleasure ran down my spine as his face registered his fear, but I felt numb because the satisfaction was bitter sweet. I had won, victory had been quick and something I had hoped for, but he had successfully turned me into a killer. I fought with my conscience, my head tried to justify what I was about to do as my heart warned me I would be losing my humanity.

Aro watched me as I fought the internal battle, a small smile spread across his lips as he watched me deliberate. This was no cold blooded murder, this was survival.

"You were saying?" Aro laughed.

That was it, I snapped and marched towards him, my mind no longer justifying anything to my heart as they synchronized perfectly. My hands planted firmly on the side of Aro's head and pulled as my teeth brushed across his neck leaving a loud keening following the line I traced. I pulled knowing that the depth in which my teeth cut would leave no resistance. My eyes met Aro's as I violently snapped his head from it's place on his neck.

Everything went silent, there was no motion around me as I realized what I held in my hand. My mind span in it's only little sphere, nothingness ran through all of the extra space in my head, I was empty. I felt nothing, I had the urge to laugh hysterically at the head I held in my hands, but nothing would come, my body would function. Then it all hit me. I had killed someone, no, I had killed two living breathing people today. Then I crumbled.

I fell to my knees as Aro's body toppled over, he had successfully made me an animal, I felt no remorse, I felt no guilt. My head fell into my hands as I dropped the head I gripped within the palms of my hand.

Edward's arms were around me before my body had settled into the ground below me, he cradled me in his arms as the wolves finished what I had started. I lay my head against his chest and let his scent fill my senses. He walked away from the metal keening that filled the air, the sound echoed around me as I closed my eyes trying to block out what had just happened. I just wanted to focus on the man holding me in his arms. The man I loved with every ounce of my being. Yet, there was so much to do now. Seth's human face passed across my mind, smiling, warm, as it always had been when he came to see us.

"Seth . . ." I could hear the weakness in my breath as I voiced the question.

"He's fine. Just a dislocated shoulder. Carlisle's with him." I could hear the concern in Edward's voice as his breath surrounded my face. "Bella, please look at me."

I let my eyes flutter open and met his topaz eyes, everything around me melted away as I gazed at him. Could I be a monster and deserve this angel that loved me.

'You're not a monster, Bella."

"I felt nothing." I whispered. "I took a life and felt nothing."

"You did what you had to do."

'I felt nothing," I repeated, my voice empty. "It makes me no better than _him_."

Edward dropped my feet and grasped my shoulders, his eye met mine as he held me tightly at arms length.

"What are you feeling now, Bella? If you were an animal you would feel nothing and continue on, all of us deal with what we have to do in our own way. You did what you _had_ to do, he was never going to live. You saved a life when you took his, how can you possibly believe that you are a monster?"

I closed my eyes again and mulled over his words, was he right? Was this my guilt, my grieving for what I had done? Or was this my selfishness? Yes, I was grieving about what I had done, but I still didn't regret doing it to Aro. Was that a justification?

"Bella, you're over thinking this."

I nodded and swallowed, looking over to the growing pile of limbs the wolves were creating. Then my mind played over what had happened, I saw everything backwards as though my mind was in rewind, Aro, falling to the floor, the movements I had made in attacking him, Alec . . .

"Esme, she finished what you started."

I nodded and looked once again to the field, snowy white limbs littered the field around the house as the last of the fights were dwindling to extermination. I wasn't sure how we faired or whether everyone had survived. It was important to me but I couldn't focus enough to check.

"We lost a couple of good people, Todd didn't make it, and we lost Elena and Calixto."

My eyes hung looking at the ground. A Russian, Australian and the only Spaniard in the group.

"Bella, it would have been much worse if you weren't protecting us, I wish you could see that. You did everything you could. Do you think we would have been better off if we had of lost you? Do you think I could have lived with that? What were you thinking walking into his hands like that?"

"Seth, I couldn't let him kill Seth. He knew me well enough to use that against me." I sighed and replayed the scene in my head, the tenuous smile as he held the wolf in his grasp, the flexing in his fingers, the chocking sound emitting from Seth. He pulled me into his chest again and kissed the top of my head.

"And you think you're a monster."

"Bella?" I heard Alice's voice before I saw her slight figure dancing towards me. Her face was serious as she danced to a stop in front of me. "I told you to stay close."

"I told you to be careful." I said back, my hands planted firmly on my hips.

She cringed. "I didn't see that coming."

I rolled my eyes and pulled her towards me, I couldn't be angry at her, she had survived this debacle and I was able to hold her in my arms, knowing she was safe. She laughed at me and looked around the field.

"I'd better go find Jasper,"

I nodded and looked around the field again, this time I had someone I wanted to reprimand. I knew the general direction he would be in, but I didn't think I could bring myself to look. There was so much carnage across the field. Then I saw him bounding towards us, his eyes alive with the adrenaline pumping through his system. I could hear his elevated heart beat from where we stood.

"And you." I felt my eyes narrow as his feet dug into the deep ground below him, his fir waved with the abrupt stop. "Why would you do that to me? I was stuck in that silly circle draining your resources while I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself. Did you think for a second how I would feel?"

Jacob looked to Edward who chuckled lightly. "He says you got out."

"Damn right I got out!" I snapped taking a step towards him. Then I couldn't be angry anymore, the anger seeped out of me, it all seemed to make sense. I had people who loved me enough to protect me. I had real friendships, I had the love of my life stood beside me, and we were all alive.

"Thank you." I whispered.

His eyes betrayed the shock he was trying to hide, Edward's chuckle progressed into a laugh beside me. I could feel myself leaning towards the relief now. "You were trying to help, trying to keep everyone safe. You're a good Alpha, Jacob, but I always new you would be. I just wish you would trust my judgment."

Edward's smile was transparent in his voice. "He says sheesh Bella, you finished with the dramatics, you're making him blush."

I rolled my eyes and stepped towards the large wolf grinning. I ran my hands through his fur gently. It was easier to be his friend like this. Edward's smile glowed as we looked at one another. We had won, we were free and we would have our eternity.

**A/N: Sorry, I guess I'm just putting off the inevitable by not uploading as quickly as I know I should LOL. Still there are a couple of chapters left and I won't keep you hanging. I'm working on something right now, but I'm not sure about it so, I'll see where it's going before I upload it. I also have Alice's version of Breaking Dawn to write, which I'm thinking might be epic LOL, I might write it before I upload so I can make sure all the details are right. I have also had request for a sequel to Infinite Paths of Destiny.  
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**So, do you think the song went with the chapter? You'll have to let me know. Oh, and a couple of weeks ago I made a snazzy cover for Immortal Souls, in snazzy I mean not my best work, but still . . . let me know what you think :)  
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**Thank you for all the alerts and faves, the alerts have by far surpassed all my other stories, which is totally flattering :) . . . AND OF COURSE THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS WHO ARE ALWAYS SO PATIENT AND SWEET, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE DOWN YOUR THOUGHTS . . . YOU REALLY DO ROCK!!!**

**BIG HUGZ - MUCH LOVE - L-  
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	31. Chapter 31

_**All things Twilight belong to the Awesomest Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer :)**_

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**_**Chapter 32 - Attainment**

Jacob disappeared to check on Seth, I could see that my praise had embarrassed him, but I was glad to finally get him back after the epic blushes he used to give me, I also knew that being in a house full of vampires that were happy with their traditional diets wasn't his idea of fun. He didn't need to see any of the vampires now that his involvement with them was over. His alliance had been for this battle alone, and I doubted the offer was an extended one. I watched him silently as he ran towards the trees that lined the river.

Edward picked up my hand gently and kissed it before letting them both fall between us. We walked slowly towards the house, a complete but comfortable silence had befallen us. I was still amazed that we'd managed to do what we had wanted to accomplish, the losses were certainly minimal, but I mourned them all the same. They had come to help us and they'd died in the process.

Edward could hear my thoughts and I knew that, but they'd all been in the boundaries of my mind for so long I was almost getting used to it, and I was also nervous to release them, especially when we had this final thing looming, we needed to find out if Marcus and Demetri would stay true to their word, and not keep this looming over our heads. I doubted they would, but something I had learned was that it was better to be safe than sorry.

The house looked as comforting as it always had to me, it had been untouched as the battle raged on around it. It looked so warm and welcoming as it shone brightly around the dark back drop of the early morning darkness. I could see the others moving around inside, but what stopped me was the three vampires on the porch, all sat close to one another, heads hung. The Russians were embracing, but Brad sat looking distraught, holding what looked like a small shoe box. The name on the side made it apparent that it had belonged to Alice. His eyes looked up as we climbed the stairs slowly, they connected with mine, and I could see that the loss of his friend had taken it's toll on this once vibrant, animated vampire. The dark circles under his eyes had increased, and the moroseness had taken a hold of him. My chest tightened, stifling the air in chest.

"Todd made me promise to scatter what was left over the barrier reef." his voice was void of emotion as his crimson eyes stayed connected with mine. He shook the box gently.

"I'm so sorry, Brad." my voice was quiet, but I knew he heard me because he smiled briefly.

"S'not your fault, Bella. The stupid bugger wasn't paying attention."

"What happened?" I asked stepping towards him, trying not to disturb the two Russians mourning close by.

"He was being cocky, got in a fight with one of the bigger guards, was doing quite well until he backed into another Volturi scum, The bloody vampire spun and took his head clean off, unfortunately, he threw the bloody thing into the fire, there was nothing I could do."

Brad's description, though full of sadness for the loss of his friend, was almost comical in his heavy accent. Still, I couldn't bring myself to smile, even when his gleaming teeth showed in a perfect row as he smiled at me.

It was too sad, the sense of loss I was feeling was amplified because I realized there was no one to mourn for Calixto they way he deserved to be mourned. Edward's hand tightened around mine as he pulled me back to his side.

"Please, let us know if there's anything we can do." I offered, not knowing what the proper etiquette was for a vampire's death.

"I appreciate that." Brad said quietly.

Edward pulled me gently toward the door that stood open to the house. Though my eyes continued across the Russians who seemed to be taking their loss a little harder than Brad had been taking his. I couldn't bring myself to talk to them, they were huddled into one another sharing the moment.

The house was quiet when we entered, but I could feel the difference immediately, there was a friendly atmosphere emanating from the vampires crowing around inside, it was completely opposite to what it had been before the Volturi had arrived. In the center of everything was Demetri and Marcus. Marcus beamed at the vampires that surrounded him, his loyal guards were close by and easy to spot considering the size of them. They never wandered far, moving when Marcus moved, even if it was only a foot. Demetri had been right, those loyal to Marcus were exactly that, loyal. The scene almost inspired me, and I was finally able to believe that all of this had bee the truth, Demetri hadn't lied to us once. I couldn't of been happier about being proved wrong.

"Bella," Esme's concerned voice reached me as she did, her arms wrapped around my shoulders as she pulled me to her. "I'm so glad your safe."

I let my arms wrap around her as she clung to me with her maternal nature shining through. Rosalie grinned at me over her shoulder, her features lighting up as she rubbed one of the arms that I had encircled Esme with.

"Thank you," she whispered, "We make a good team."

"Thank you for training me." I laughed. "I would have been useless without your help."

Rosalie beamed, it seemed any animosity that had remained between was now obsolete. Esme released me from her arms and moved to embrace Edward. Emmett stepped up next and punched my shoulder gently before pulling me into a bear hug. I let my arms tighten around him as he did the same to me.

"That new born strength won't last forever," he laughed dropping his arms. Rosalie rolled her eyes daintily as she picked up his hand and pulled him away.

Marcus stepped towards me, his foggy crimson eyes wide with wonder.

"How very interesting that your bonds have strengthened." his voice was light, and void of the bored tone I had grown so used to the only times I had ever heard him speak. For once he actually sounded interested. I had to fight the smile that was growing within me.

"So what now?" Edward asked, wrapping his arm around me. I knew that his concerns mirrored mine, would Marcus and Demetri stay true to the promises they had given us before all of this, before our alliance. Would Charlie be free, even though he knew about our secret world? I still had that relaxation within me, but I had to make sure, I had to hear him say it aloud.

"I am a man of my word, it's all I have. Bella, your father will be safe, but I must implore that you reinforce the necessity for secrecy, he must understand that no word of our existence can ever be spoken."

I nodded quickly. "Of course, he won't say a word."

Marcus smiled gently. "I'm sure of that, he is your father after all."

Edward smiled at the vampire in front of us. Marcus turned to Demetri and rested his hand feebly against the large vampires shoulder. "The guard will return with me to Volterra, but I am going to miss you Demetri. You have been a loyal friend."

Demetri smiled at his old friend genuinely. "I will be there whenever you should require me, Marcus. I will not forget your kindness."

The two of them exchanged a long glance, then Marcus laughed cheerfully. Marcus gave me one last warm smile before gliding effortlessly away from us, he stopped at Carlisle and the two of them chatted quietly. I had almost forgotten that they had been friends, nighttime patrons of the Arts, I was sure they had plenty to discuss and enough memories to mull over to keep them occupied for a while.

"You're not returning to Volterra?" I asked quietly, eying another vampire not stood far from us.

Demetri followed my eyes and smiled. "No, I will be joining your extended family in Denali." he laughed lightly, looking behind me "and it appears I won't be the only one."

I turned around to see exactly what he was looking at. Garrett and Kate were stood quietly in a corner, their hands intertwined between them. I couldn't help but smile at the scene, it seemed to have been obvious once I started paying attention.

"Would you excuse me?" Demetri asked quietly. I nodded smiling, things seemed to have changed so much in the short time we had all been congregated here. It was hard not to feel the hope that encompassed us all, it was everywhere and touched everything giving the future a shiny gleaming hope that I had been so reluctant to believe, even yesterday.

We stood chatting quietly with the vampires in the house about nothing important, but it felt so comparatively easy now.

Edward excused us from our conversation before he picked up my hand and led me out of the house again, this time to the back yard. The early morning air was full of the heady scent of incense. The burning pile was in the front of the house but the third purplish smoke seemed to surround us. it was an unwelcome reminder of what had transpired, but it didn't dampen my now heightened spirits.

Edward led me towards the river nestled at the edge of the trees. His arms wrapped around me and he pulled me tightly against him.

"What are we doing?" I asked resting my head against his chest.

"Seth wanted to talk to you, but he was a little uncomfortable coming inside while there were so many vampires around."

I nodded against him lightly. His arms around me gave me the sense of normalcy I had been searching for since this whole thing started, and I was reluctant to step away from him, we stood, leaning against each other silently as we waited, it was comfortable, I listened to him breathing, rhythmically hypnotic as he drew breath and released it. We didn't have to wait long, and I knew the moment Seth had shown up, his scent was the only thing that interrupted that of the incense.

"Hey, Bella, Edward." his voice was sheepish as he approached us.

"Hey Seth," I whispered, I stepped away from Edward, pulling his hand into mine. "Sorry about the shoulder."

"Are you kidding me? " he laughed boisterously, "You saved my life, Bella."

Edward's hand trailed down my spine as he stood silently beside me. I let the shiver run through me as I laughed gently at the boy stood in front of me. It was obvious that he was upset about what had happened, but he was so full of adrenaline he couldn't keep still. I laughed at him gently, not having the heart to reprimand him for getting too close. It was over, there was no changing the past, what had happened could not be changed, and making Seth feel guilty about it would do nothing but cause more unnecessary pain.

"Is everyone else safe?"

"Fine, yeah. No one got hurt." Seth shrugged looking at his shoulder, it was almost as though he was waiting for me to get upset.

"I just wanted to say thank you, and sorry."

"Seth, it's over, there's nothing to be sorry about. I'm just glad your alright." I sighed gently.

Seth pranced forward carefully and threw his good arm around my shoulder. "Thanks, Bella."

"No problem, just keep out of trouble." I sighed gently, patting his back gently. It was an affectionate gesture and he knew it, but Seth rolled his eyes and stepped away from me.

"I will." He looked over his shoulder quickly. "Leah's waiting for me, I have to go, she promised to wait so I didn't have to explain to my mom on my own."

Edward chuckled next to me. Seth's wide eyes turned to him, "Believe me, my mom is going to be difficult. You have no idea what's she's like when she gets on one of her rampages." he muttered, sighing.

"I think she'll make an exception this time around." I whispered smiling at him.

"I hope so." he shrugged and winced as the movement jostled his shoulder. "I guess I'd better go,"

"Bye Seth, look after that shoulder." I called after him.

Seth took off towards the side of the house quickly as Leah appeared, it wasn't without one last eye roll. Edward chuckled pulling me to him again.

"He was expecting you to be upset." he chuckled lightly.

"He's safe, that's all that really matters." I whispered, burying my head into his chest again.

It took a week for things to get back to normal enough for me to escape. I still hadn't been able to give Charlie the good news, and I didn't want to deliver it over the phone because I knew he would ask questions and what I had to tell him would need to be said face to face.

The vampires had dissolved slowly as they went back to their lives, all hopeful things would finally be alright. Marcus had promised in no uncertain terms that he would do things differently. Alice had faith in his decision's, she saw the entire future change after the battle.

The house was finally peaceful again, but we had all decided collectively that it was time to leave Forks. As much as I wanted to live near Charlie, staying in Forks would ensure that we would have to live in hiding. Carlisle couldn't continue at the hospital without aging, he was pushing the boundaries as it was. I was comforted by the fact that Charlie's knowledge would give him the freedom to visit me whenever he pleased. I could also come back to visit him, my changes could always be attributed to maturing, even if I hadn't aged a day.

Now, it was breaking the news to him. I knew he would be upset, but I hoped he would understand. Edward had agreed to come with me. It made everything easier, having Edward there. With an endless future laid out ahead of us, I was excited. An eternity with him seemed like it's own sort of heaven, especially without the threat of the Volturi looming over us.

We'd been packing all night for the eventual move, there was still Edward's room to pack, but I couldn't put off telling Charlie any longer. Edward and I took the Volvo, and headed down the spiral drive of to the highway below. Edward drove slower than normal so we could let the nostalgia of the small town surround us. There was so much of Edward and I in this town, almost all of our memories were here. He stopped at the school and we just stared at it. It was where we'd met, the cafeteria, where I had first seen him, building four, where I'd sat next to him. The benches under the trees where we'd sat quietly together on prom night. So much had happened in these buildings, and I would always remember it, because it brought me to Edward.

Images of chiffon and death heels swirled through my mind as I pictured my small pity party when I discovered Edward was taking me to prom. Calculus problems as I sat on the bench when Edward left, and I had used anything to not fall into the pit of despair that swallowed me. The blue van, sliding across the black ice. All of it had pointed me in this direction, and I regretted nothing.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward whispered pulling my hand into his.

I had taken down the barriers as soon as people began to leave, and I forgot sometimes that I was once again silent to him.

"All the memories here. It seems as though so much of our lives happened in these buildings."

Edward chuckled lightly. "Get used to it, I think Carlisle plans on enrolling us as soon as we arrive."

High School, again. It didn't seem so daunting knowing that I would be experiencing it with Edward, knowing that he would never leave me, that I wouldn't be constantly looking over my shoulder for something to go wrong, in fact, I considered actually learning something this time around.

"It won't be so bad." I whispered.

"It won't be bad at all. I'll have you with me." he answered, leaning forward to kiss me. As always, my body reacted to him immediately. I had a sneaking suspicion he enjoyed my hasty reactions now I was no longer human, because this way he could get carried away with me. His hands roamed of my shoulder and down my sides, his thumb traced the outline of my breast that was hidden beneath the layer of clothes I was wearing.

"Charlie," I whimpered as I fought to catch my breath and his mouth attacked my neck.

He pulled away from me gently, his warm topaz eyes igniting my soul.

"Later, I promise." I sighed, it took everything in me to gather the power to stop him. his touches always created that burning passion to build in me.

He started the engine a smile on his perfect lips. "I'll hold you to that."

"I know you will." I giggled as he pulled back onto the highway towards Charlie's house.

He pulled up in front of the house in the spot my ancient chevy used to occupy. Charlie had it towed after the wedding, and the scrap yard had fixed it and sold it on to someone I hoped would appreciate it. Edward still looked sheepish when I spoke about it, but that was rare, but like everything else in forks, it held memories of us, and I missed it.

The porch light was on, a beacon welcoming us to what had once been my home. I looked at the house quietly, the window that had always sat open waiting for Edward, the small yard that was always damp, and the trail leading into the forest. I tried to ignore the last one, the last time I had walked along that path, well, the last two times had been disastrous. Edward leaving, and then Jacob and the wolves warning. I tried to shake off the pain that had been in his eyes that night, and concentrated more on the house in front of us.

Edward and I ambled slowly to the door, it felt strange knocking, but as a guest it was the polite thing to do. I could hear Charlie moving inside and could almost count the steps he took to the door. He pulled the door open a large smile creating the look that always made him look years younger.

"Why are you knocking?" he laughed stepping back so we could come inside.

We stepped over the threshold of the door, it hit me with new waves of nostalgia. Nothing every seemed to change in this house, it was exactly the same as when I had first arrived in Forks, since the last time I had left on the day of my wedding. My pictures still lined perfectly on the small mantle, the TV playing the latest sports highlights from around the country, Charlie's gun holster and boots where he always left them.

I walked into the living room and sat on the love seat pulling Edward down with me. His arm wrapped around me tightly. Charlie muted the television and took a seat on the chair.

Edward kicked off the conversation the way I knew only he could. He cleared the air.

"Charlie, we wanted you to know that the Volturi aren't a problem any longer. Everyone is safe, we just need you to not talk about our existence to anyone who doesn't already know. It's a promise we made on your behalf, but one we both knew you could easily keep."

I could see Charlie release the breath he'd been holding as Edward spoke.

"What happened, did they have a change of heart? Could they change their minds again?"

"No Dad, they're gone."

"Gone?" he asked, his eyes full of disbelief.

"All but one, but he has agreed to leave us alone as long as we stick to the one rule." Edward said gently.

Charlie though about it briefly before nodding his head in agreement, I let the breath I had been holding pass through my lips. This explanation seemed to appease Charlie for now. The relief was the most evident expression on his face as it sunk in, but it soon gave way to suspicion as he eyed us. Our bodies were still too tense.

"What else? The two of you are sat like you've got a rod running through you. I know somethings going on."

Edward and I looked at one another. This was my territory, I had agreed to tell him about us leaving. I took a deep breath, still unsure of how he would react.

"Dad, we're leaving Forks." I whispered.

"What?" His face blanched,all of the color drained from him as he processed my words. I went to him immediately, forgetting about the speed in which I now moved, his eyes widened and he leaned away from me briefly before collecting his frayed nerves together and relaxing again. I picked up his hands in mine ignoring the slight twitch the temperate created.

"Dad, listen, you know how things are now, you know everything there is to know. Don't you think people will notice that I don't age, that I never change. I've known these people too long for them not to notice. We can't hide in the house for the rest of our lives."

Charlie dragging in a large breath before nodding.

"The best part about all of this is that you know what to expect, I don't have to hide from you. You can come and see me whenever you want to, and I can always visit whenever you need me to. It'll be like I left for college, I'll call you all the time."

Charlie broke a small smile as I explained the benefits of his knowledge, his color crept gently back into his face and his body relaxed again. He rubbed my hand gently, ineffectively trying to warm it, the heat his body created was pleasant in my hand, but I knew the sensation would disappear quickly when he stopped.

"When are you leaving?"

"Sunday night."

"So soon?" His hands stopped their capricious movements, but he continued his grip around my cool hands.

"Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away, Charlie. You're more than welcome to join us." Edward said sympathetically.

"Two weeks, Dad." I agreed quietly. I grinned at him before standing up. "When was the last time you ate a decent meal?"

"The day before your wedding." he chuckled, his eyes hopeful.

"Let me make something for you before I go." I laughed, he dropped my hand gently and smiled. i returned the gesture before heading towards the kitchen. I heard the TV chattering away as I left the room and I smiled, it sounded like home in so many ways.

I cooked Charlie dinner, not just for the night, but enough to last at least two weeks, I froze everything but a weeks worth of food knowing that I would have to ensure I wrote out heating directions so he wouldn't burn them. Edward sat with me the entire time I danced around the kitchen, he looked bemused as I made notes for Charlie on everything I made.

"What?" I whispered kissing his forehead as I passed.

"This brings back a lot of memories."

I stopped and leaned against the counter as I looked around the small kitchen with the familiar sunny cabinets. This whole house was like a former life, a happy life, because they held even more memories of Edward and I. I took his and and bolted upstairs silently, I knew Charlie would never hear us climbing the stairs at the speed we were going, the third step from the top didn't even squeak as we passed over it.

I gently pushed my old bedroom door open, revealing the decor exactly as I'd left it. I doubted it would ever change. I flicked on the light and pulled Edward in behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Does this room bring back memories?" I whispered.

His eyes lit up and he nodded towards the bed. "The first time you told me you loved me, you were sleeping in that bed."

I giggled lightly. "You used to wait for me to wake up rocking in that chair."

We looked around the room silently, i remembered every small detail that happened in the room, right down to the terror of Victoria scratching at the window. I laughed quietly to myself remembering Jacob on the precarious branch outside my window. i sighed gently at the memories, Edward smiled and he rolled his eyes stepping away from me.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

He bent down quickly and pried one of the floor boards up, pulling out a simple white envelope. He grinned and handed it to me. "I gave you back the plane tickets, but I never gave these back to you."

I took the envelope from his hand and opened it as he put the board back in place. Inside there were five pictures, Two of Edward, Two of Edward and Charlie, and one of me and Edward, folded neatly down the middle. I smiled to myself and ran my fingers down the obvious bend in the photograph.

"Do you mind explaining why that was folded when it was in the book?" he asked. He was stood behind me now and he wrapped his arms around my waist, his chin resting lightly on my shoulder.

"The contrast between the two of us, you were so much more than I could have hoped for. It scared me looking at this, it made me wonder what the draw was. That's why I understood your goodbye so easily when you left."

"Bella . . ."

"Don't apologize, it's in the past. This was how I always saw things, I felt like I couldn't hold on to you because it was all too much, you gave me so much and I had nothing to offer."

"That's preposterous."

"It made sense to me at the time." I ran my fingers over the blank eyes in the picture. "Hold on, weren't there two of these? I know you took the others from Renee's package."

Edward smiled and pulled out his wallet, he flipped it open and there, bent and worn was the picture of us, bent exactly like mine, but I was face up this time.

"After I left, I needed this to remind me why I left, you looked so fragile, so beautiful. I couldn't hold you in my arms, I couldn't tell you that I'd lied to you. So I kept the picture to remind myself."

"You're preposterous." I scoffed.

He spun me in his arms and kissed me deeply, greedily. My arms wrapped around his neck burying themselves in his hair.

"You're still pushy." I laughed squeezing the back of his neck gently with my hand.

"You're still stubborn." he kissed the tip of my nose.

I lay my head on his shoulder and smiled to myself. Our time in forks was running out and there was so much we needed to do. I stepped out of Edward's embrace and grinned at him playfully. "Come on, we'd better go back downstairs before Charlie misses us."

I headed towards the door, but stopped before turning out light and closing the door. I wanted one last look at my sanctuary. I memorized it with my stronger eyes and locked it away in my memory tightly. Then I closed the door on my past, knowing that with perfect recall I could look to it whenever I felt the need.

My goodbye with Charlie wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Knowing I would see him in a few weeks made the goodbye easier and less permanent. Edward had promised to send him the address, promising that there would be plane ticket available whenever he needed them. Charlie gruffly refused and promised he would make the drive. Now I knew where I got it from. Charlie seemed almost as reluctant to accept the gifts as I had always been.

Edward and I headed back to the house knowing that the next couple of days would be busy, Edward had a ridiculous amount of possessions to pack. I had maybe two bags, but Alice had been threatening to change that.

I watched out the window as we drove back the white house on the river, the house that had been my second home in Forks when I was human, and the only home I had ever known as a vampire. I let my mind stamp the images around me to it permanently, there was a chance we wouldn't come back here, at least not for another century, and things changed so quickly when you weren't paying attention. I would miss the green, it was something that had seemed so alien to me when I reluctantly moved here, now it was the tell tale signs of home, it's beauty so much more ostensible with my new keener eyesight.

I'd already said my goodbyes to Jacob and the rest of the pack, Jacob didn't make it easy, his brown eyes were dark, shadowed by his furrowed brow. I knew he understood why we had to leave, but it didn't make it any easier to say goodbye. I knew he'd be fine though. Emily had come with him to visit me, she was beginning to show, a small lump protruded from her stomach, she had rubbed it gently with circular motions every time she mentioned Sam's name. She had promised me that she would look after Jacob.

Seth took it almost as hard as Jacob did. His wide eyes had danced between Edward and I waiting for one of us to laugh and admit was a practical joke. Emily had saved us with that wolf as well, promising that she would come with him anytime he wanted to visit. It didn't appease him completely, but it was enough to stop him complaining.

We were all friends now, and I knew we always would be. Carlisle and Esme had extended a thanksgiving invitation to them, inviting any wolves that would want to join us. I hoped Jacob and Charlie would talk about it and come together. I also hoped Emily would visit if Seth decided he wanted to visit.

"Bella?" Edward's velvet smooth voice pulled me out of my reverie, he had just taken the turning to the serpent like driveway that lead to the house. Always driving too fast. The headlights danced across the trees as we took the first corner quickly.

"Sorry," I muttered, sitting up in my seat, "I was miles away."

I could see his smile as I looked over at him and my curiosity got the better of me.

"What are you smiling about?"

"I got you a gift."

"Edward!"

He chuckled lightly, a slight nervous edge was definitely present. "I'm confident you'll like it."

Like that made everything better. I rolled my eyes and focused them on him, narrowing them as I tried to read him body language. He knew I hated surprises, I had been perfectly surprised when he finally revealed my after car, I was also sure I had gone above and beyond with my excitement. It still all felt so unbalanced somehow.

"Please, just this once enjoy the anticipation." he pleaded, his scorching eyes turning to me and melting whatever resolve I had built up.

"Fine." I sighed, crossing my arms impatiently.

He continued up the driveway quickly, swerving around the corners with a noticeable impatience. I watched him carefully as his eyes almost sparkled with his excitement. the moon was touching his skin perfectly letting a slight glimmer reflect from his skin. It was highly distracting and growing increasing difficult to keep my hands to myself. Everything around us seemed to enhance his surreal beauty.

"Close your eyes." he ordered gently.

"What?"

"Bella!"

His hand shot out and covered my eyes before I had a chance to comply. I could feel the nervous energy building inside of me as the car continued to dart around the corners of the drive. Sense of direction was easy, and it came as a second nature to me, so I knew when the car would coast gently across the straight of the meadow, it was gratifying being right, my sense were confirmed when I felt it, felt the moment we straightened out on the flat stretch towards the house. Edward had his window open and I could smell the familiarity of the house and our family.

The car glided to a stop, and I could hear every movement Edward made as he put it in neutral and turned off the engine with his left hand. There was a slight awkwardness to the movement, giving me the urge to laugh.

"Ok," he pulled his hand away from my eyes, and waited for a reaction.

It took me a moment to recognize what was in front of me, it was obvious a lot of work had been done to it, but the shape was immediately obvious to me. My stomach flipped as I drew in a large breath and looked over to Edward, a large smile danced across my face, I couldn't stop it.

"What did you do?" I couldn't hide the excitement in my voice.

Edward grinned widely.

I threw the door of the Volvo open and walked slowly forwards, I traced my hands along the curves. It was my red truck, fully restored, the paint was a shiny Ferrari red, the chrome shiny and sparkly in the light of the rising moon. I walked towards the bulbous cab and peered inside, the upholstery had been completely restored, along with the gauges and dash. There, sat in the middle was a stereo that looked hauntingly familiar.

"When did you do this?" I whisper pulling open the door and climbing behind the wheel. My legs dangled out of the door as I looked around the interior

"Who do you think bought it from the scrap yard? I knew if we tried to take it while it was at Charlie's we would lose the element of surprise." he chuckled. "Start it up."

I raised my eyebrows but leaned around and turned the key, the engine purred to life with throaty growl, but it sounded good, not as though it was choking to death.

"New engine." he winked.

I laughed quietly. "I'm guessing it'll easily coast past fifty-five now?"

Edward just smiled and stood in the door. He stepped between my legs placing his hands on my hips. I turned my body towards his and threw my arms around his neck.

"You like it?"

"I love it. Thank you."

He chuckled against my shoulder sending tiny sparks of excitement down my spine. "You still have to drive the Ferrari."

"Of course," I giggled, my hands moving into his hair, enjoying the feel of it as it ran through my fingers.

His breathing picked up a little as my fingers traced a line down his spine to the soft cotton of his shirt. His hands tightened around my hips, pulling me closer. I leaned back a little so I could see his face, I knew the look he would have in his eyes and I didn't want to miss it. They were smoldering, of course, molten gold swimming as our eyes locked together.

One of his hands left my hip and wrapped gently around my neck holding me in place, he leant forward, torturously slow, and my tongue ran along my bottom lip as the anticipation became too much. His lips, soft and perfect brushed against mine, igniting the fire within me. As always my body reacted instinctively, my legs wrapped around his, pulling him closer, my arms once again weaved around his neck pulling him to me.

My movements deepened the kiss considerably. Edward moved his hand from my neck, it ran down my back trailing fire behind it, he pulled me closer, his other arm wrapped around my waist holding me in place. Small explosions danced inside of me, my spine arched forward with each explosion, always bringing us closer. Then, he moaned my name.

The sound created a frenzy within me, driving me forward, I wanted more of him in so many ways, my legs constricted around him until he was molded into me, my hips rocked gently against him sending waves through my entire being. My entire body trembled against him as the kiss exploded into a pure desperate need for him.

Edward's arms tightened around my waist as he picked me up, my legs moved to his waist holding me in place. His lips moved down to my neck as he stumbled backwards. A euphoric sigh rose from me spilling over my trembling lips.

"Turn off the truck." he demanded against my skin. The feeling sent another shiver through me but I complied, leaning back and turning the key. The engine cut off leaving it all but silent, our panting breaths were loud in the silent darkness.

Edward pulled me into his arms again and stepped out of the door he pushed me up against the bed of the truck as he slammed the door closed. I couldn't comprehend how he managed to keep his mind functioning, mine was a swirl of disarray, my body burning where it was connected with his.

He pulled me against him and started walking, but my bodies demands took over everything and I pressed my lips against his, the urgency creating a pressure within me that almost peaked with the magnetism that pulled me to him. It seemed this distracted him, I felt the hood of the truck against my back as he leaned me against it to support us.

A surge of pleasure ran through me creating my body to ride against him, my hands cradled his neck as I hungrily took more. My thighs tightened around him creating the warmth between my legs to surge. I moaned into his mouth, and I felt every muscle in his body tense against me.

His hands found their way under my shirt and his satin fingers stroked the skin of my back that wasn't pressed against the cool metal of the truck. The sensation was too much, my hands clawed at his shoulders, the material protested against my desperate attempts to remove it.

"Bella," the subtle moan in his voice tortured me, I wanted him so badly it was creating an ache. I didn't answer him, I couldn't, my mind was so distracted there was no chance a coherent word could be developed on my aching lips.

"Patience." the moan was still in the forming of his words, and it was driving me insane.

I nodded against him, hoping that he wouldn't put me down, I ached, my needs driving my wants. He tightened his grip around me and walked towards the house. The soft jostling of his walk sent vibrations through my over-sensitive body, the friction was almost unbearably erotic. I lay my head on his shoulder, too afraid to face anyone that happened to be in the house when we entered. There was no hiding what I was feeling and I was sure that pure desire was etched onto every feature of my face.

My lips placed gentle kisses on the exposed skin of his collar, willing him to move faster. I closed my eyes hoping not to see the faces of my family as we passed through entwined together this way.

The only thing that met us was silence, I felt Edward's body relax a little as he headed towards the stairs. The stairs, it was something I would never have fathomed, I felt his legs bend and straighten below me as he moved up them, it was sinfully erotic, the rocking, the gentle bounce. I was brimming on the edge of ecstasy, clinging with the tips of my fingers.

"Bella."

"Sorry," I murmured, I knew what he was referring to. The gentle throbbing that was growing within me mutating into a pounding against his body. I let out a gentle sigh, my breath dancing against his neck and rebounding against my skin. I felt Edward move quickly under me as my muscles tightened around him, I was slowly torturing him, just as he was torturing me.

Before I had time to look up I heard the click of our door closing behind us, I giggled lightly against his skin knowing that he was becoming just as impatient as I was, my eyes fluttered open. The room was dark except for the silver slither of light emitting from the moon. It was almost romantic the way it danced in through the window. It created a perfect setting for our love making, a natural romance filling t he room as we came together as one.

Edward lay us both down on the bed, his body hovering over me, his breathing labored with his excitement. There was too much distance between us, so I arched my back closing the gap, my eyes on his as our bodies connected. There was a fire behind his eyes, wild and lustful. I felt his hands in the edge of the material on my stomach, he didn't move it an inch, where he had laid us on the bed, and the new position of my body, there was a small patch of skin bared. He traced the line with his finger, the touch was feather light, but it brought the flames of desire lapping to the surface, burning everything it touched.

I drew in a sharp breath, and I saw the smile reach Edward's eyes. His hand continued up under my shirt, my body lowered to the bed again, the trembling was making it impossible to keep it rigid the way it had been. his fingers brushed lightly against my breast as he continued to pull the material up and away from my skin.

I let my hands roam to his waist, I pulled at the material gently so I could pull it up, and discard it, I needed his skin against mine, there were too many boundaries between us. Edward moved away from me quickly, helping me pull the fabric over his head, I lifted my shoulders minimally from the bed as he removed mine. His hands were everywhere feather light as he caressed my skin.

He slid the straps of my bra gently down my arms, kissing the snowy white skin on my breast just above the lacy material. I released my own hands from the straps, I needed to touch him, feel him, my hands brushed over his broad shoulders and tangled in his hair, holding his head lightly in place over my breast, his velvet lips brushed lightly over the skin, his tongue making small line of heat over the skin. He pulled me towards him, gently unhooking the bra before discarding it completely. his tongue traced down the skin before his mouth covered the pink peaks that reached towards him showing my ever apparent arousal. His fingers gently teased the neglected skin of my other breast, I rode the wave of euphoria as my body arched towards him again, every limb shaking unsteadily with passion.

His tongue danced across my arousal, flicking and teasing it until my body writhed in pleasure. My lips clamped together creating a humming sound as I stifled my moans, every inch of me exploded in small pangs of electricity, my heated core ached as Edward continued his vigilance on my chest. My hands fell to the bed beneath me as surge upon surge of heated desire rocked me, I felt the pressure build to combustion as his hand kneaded my breast gently.

"Edward," my voice was throaty and raw from biting back the moans of ecstasy, my breathing came in ragged spurts spilling from me as I held on to the fiery wave of euphoria. There would be no drawing this out tonight, I wanted him too badly to wait, I needed him to fill me, to take me. I tightened my legs around him and ground my hips into his arousal, an arousal that was hard to miss.

He moaned against my breast, the warm vibration pushing me over the edge I had been grasping to with every conscious part of my mind. My body rocked as the explosions brought sweet release, a release to the pent up pressure that had been building within me, but it did nothing to remove the want, the desire to have him inside of me.

My thighs tightened around him again, and the light tremble of my body created a friction that extended the euphoric orgasm that rocked me. My eyes fell closed as I basked in that sweet moment, a small whimper escaped my lips as Edward's mouth moved away from my breast. I was trembling still, my body not responding to the simple commands I asked of it.

I felt Edward's breath on my face and I breathed in the scent, it created another swirl in my mind, creating a haze within me. How did he do that? His lips brushed against mine, and he pulled my bottom lip into mouth with a gentle suck. My breath left me in the gush of the moan, my eyes fluttered open, meeting his. His gaze was intense, his topaz pools dancing around the growing blackness of his pupil, I lost myself there, falling soundlessly into his soul.

He rocked his hips against me, the movement bringing me back to the surface, his arousal ground against my heated core, I couldn't take any more, I bucked my hips towards him, holding him against me as I caught my breath.

He released my lip, but moved infinitesimally as his mouth covered mine. His tongue danced across my lips and I reacted immediately, our lips moved in perfect synchronization as our tongues danced complex patterns together.

We still had too many clothes on as far as I was concerned, I moved my hands down his back gently digging my nails in as my body reacted to his touch, one of his hands was planted on the back on my neck holding me to him as we kissed passionately, the other was tracing light lines between the ridges of my breasts, dancing lithely over my ribs, the feeling creating pangs of pleasure within me, my muscles flickered as tremors danced through me.

I reached the waist band of his jeans quickly, my fingers traced along the line as I maneuvered a small amount of space for my hands to move, as soon as I reached the buttons, he knew what I wanted. His hands were immediately helping mine before moving to the waistband of my jeans. His hands moved swiftly as he removed the last of our clothing, but his body left mine as he stripped us both, I felt the loss immediately, but my eyes were drawn to him.

I watched every muscle in his body as he moved, their perfection was captivating as they rippled beneath the surface of his skin, he was knelt between my legs looking down at me with hungry eyes, I indulged myself letting my eyes roam across the contours of his body, but I couldn't stand the distance between us. My hands reached out to him, calling him to me, his hands met mine and he intertwined our fingers. Electricity ran through my hands in warm bands stealing my breath from me.

Edward's body moved over mine slowly, his hands pinning mine against the bed that was below me, his head lowered, his lips met the skin on my throat, his nose tracedg the line of my jaw. My hips raised from the bed to meet him, he moaned against me as his hips pushed forwards. He entered fully, his arousal filling me perfectly. A strangled moan escaped me as he thrust again, my eyes closed at the euphoric feeling of completion he gave me, my muscles tightened around him as he rocked above me, my finger gripped against his. The connection was so natural to me now, the pleasure was insurmountable, I moved my hips with his so the penetration sent wave upon wave of agonizing bliss through my body.

Moans escaped with every breath I took, each seemed to drive Edward forward, his rhythm quickened, the pressure released gripping him inside of me, he slowed as my body rocked against his, he waited gently moving slowly as I gripped him in place. Edward's eyes slid closer as he enjoyed the sensation of my orgasm. I watched him closely as my body trembled under him. My toes curled in on themselves and my chest pressed against his as my body arched in pleasure. I was fighting for breath now, it didn't matter that it was unneeded, it was a simple sign of pure ecstatic pleasure.

As the tremors weakened, he pulled out gently until he was almost gone from me completely, I moaned at the loss and his eyes flickered open, a devious smile covering his handsome features. His hands disappeared from mine as he moved to rearrange me. He hooked one of his arms under my leg and pulled it to his shoulder, his hands held my hips as he thrust into me, deeper than he had ever been before. I was beyond moaning, a scream of pleasure built inside of me as his hips rocked with mind blowing accuracy. My hands dug into the folds of material beneath me as I fought the urge to cry out. He leaned forward gently his haggard breath blowing spurts of air against my aroused breasts.

We moved together as one, bursts of pleasure exploding in the air around us, the ache within me grew with each endearing grunt he released, his head dipped to my chest and he took the aroused mound in his mouth, never losing the rhythm of his thrust, our bodies moved together perfectly as we climbed towards our ecstasy. I knew I was close again, but I held on, sucking my lower lip, I wanted to wait for him. I teetered on the edge of insanity as the feeling grew within me.

I knew he was growing closer with each thrust, he twitched within me as his assault on my breast grew more erratic. My name fell gently from his lips as he fell over the edge, I let go of the edge I was gripping and fell with him, both of us panting and trembling as our most intimate connection throbbed as one.

Edward collapsed against me, his head on my chest, his breathing coming in pants, he stroked the skin on my stomach gently as we both collected ourselves.

"I love you, Bella." he whispered against me.

"I love you too, Edward." I said breathlessly. "Forever."

THE END :(

**A/N: I know, endings are so sad, I know I said there were two chapters left, but this one was a whopping 9000 and something worded chapter, and I don't think it could have ended any other way. I hope it was a good ending, I know it's all tied up in a pretty little bow but it was the only way I could do it**.

**I would like to thank Vicki, for helping me with this last chapter, I was freaking out so badly worrying that it would fall flat on it's ass, so thanks Vicki for your patience and your suggestions. I would also like to suggest a couple of stories to you to keep, I am on chapter three of my new story and I want to Iron out some creases before I upload. All of these stories can be found in my favorites . . . The first is the Puppet Master by Glitch in the system, it is so highly addictive that I just can't get enough. the Second is Gloves by Orioncat, I have been nagging her to update forever. Then one of my more recent faves, and believe me this girl writes a badass Bella, that is The Porcupine Embrace by houroflead, seriously check it out if you get a minute, it rocks!!! and lastly, but certainly not least, Destined by GlassyEyes, Vamp Bella rocks.**

**LASTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE READ THIS STORY, YES THAT MEANS YOU!!!! WHETHER YOU ADDED IT TO YOUR ALERTS OR FAVES, ADDED A FRICKEN' AWESOME REVIEW, BECAUSE MY REVIEWERS ARE SERIOUSLY THE COOLEST PEOPLE ON THE FACE OF THIS PLANET, OR JUST LOOKED FOR AN UPDATE NOW AND THEN. YOU ALL INSPIRED ME AND I THANK YOU FOR BEING AS OBSESSED WITH TWILIGHT AS I AM.**

**I'M NOT AFRAID TO SAY IT, I LOVE YOU ALL AND YOU COMPLETELY ROCK!!!!**

**BIG HUGS - MUCH LOVE - L -**

**SEE YOU SOON :) MISS YOU ALREADY LOL  
**


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